A Legacy Carried Together

Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade is the son of Ratnavarma Heggade, the 20th Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala, and Rathnamma Heggade, daughter of the Mudabidri landlord Sankappa Shetty. He succeeded his father in 1968, continuing a lineage of service that has now spanned three generations.

He is married to Hemavathi V. Heggade, a social reformer in her own right who leads the Jnanavikasa women's empowerment programme — credited with uplifting over 300,000 rural women — and co-founded the SIRI Gramodyoga Samsthe. Together, they have one daughter, Shraddha Heggade.

He is the eldest of five siblings. His brother Harshendra Kumar is widely regarded as heir to the Dharmadhikari lineage, alongside brothers Surendra Kumar and Rajendra Kumar, and sister Padmalatha.