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D. Veerendra Heggade (born November 25, 1948) is the eldest son of Ratnavarma Heggade and Rathnamma Heggade. The mantle of Heggadeship fell on the shoulders of Veerendra Heggade at the age of 20, on October 24, 1968 when he became the 21st Dharmadikari of Shri Shetra Dharmasthala. Veerendra Heggade’s first major act since he became Dharmadhikari was to realise his father’s dream by completing the carving and installation of the 39 ft., 170 ton Bahubali statue at Dharmastala. In 1993, during silver jubilee celebrations of his Patthabhisheka, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the then President of India, called Veerendra Heggade Rajarshi. He was conferred the prestigious "Padma Bhushan" award instituted by the Government of India from President K R Narayanan in the year 2000 for his social service. The award has been for his services in the fields of education, religion and social welfare.
Family He is married to Smt Hemavathi Heggade and has a daughter by name Shraddha. He has 3 brothers which includes Shri Harshendra Kumar. His mother Rathnamma Heggade, 80, died on the spot when a van collided with the car in which she was travelling at Janthigoli on Sulkeri-Naravi Road in Venoor police limits on January 2006. Mahanadavali Under the leadership of Dr. Heggade, Dharmasthala witnessed the first Mahanadavali of this millennium during February 2005. | ||||||||
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