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Missing Women of Dharmasthala

The entrance to the temple

Dharmasthala: The Shadows Behind the Sanctum

Ananya Bhatt, a young medical student from Manipal, visited the Dharmasthala Temple and she never returned to her hostel. She vanished without a trace. That was in 2003. Her mother, Sujata Bhatt, a stenographer working with the CBI, rushed to the temple town in search of her daughter. Some residents told her that they had seen Ananya walking with the temple officials. The local police refused to help in any way. Soon Sujata was abducted by three men, assaulted, and rendered unconscious. She woke up months later in a hospital in Bangalore (Bengaluru).

Now more than two decades later, she is back in the temple premises to find her daughter’s remains and perform her last rites. Because a former sanitation worker of the temple came to the local court a few days back with a human skeleton and the confession that he had buried countless schoolgirls in uniform and other young women in the temple premises. This man left his job in 2014 when his own relatives were sexually assaulted by the temple people. He was intimidated into silence. He could not bear the guilt and grief anymore and thus he approached the magistrate with his confession.

The temple is situated on over 400 acres of land. Beneath the aura of sanctity lie chilling stories of sexually exploited women. It is estimated that at least 400 women went missing or found dead over the past two decades. The police didn’t take any interest in investigating the cases. Because the family that runs the temple, the Heggades, are extremely powerful.

The media didn’t report these cases for the same reason: fear. The News Minute, which had reported on the case extensively for years, was compelled to take it all down.

I came to know about this only when a Malayalam weekly wrote its latest editorial on the issue expressing surprise over the silence of political parties as well as the media. Well, surprise is out of place, we know. There’s so much oppression and exploitation of all types of citizens – not only women – going on in this country every single day. But I don’t wish to digress.

Dharmasthala has transfixed me.

Dharmasthala raises a more focused question: are we safe even in our sacred spaces?

PM Modi in the temple


  

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Comments

  1. Jose D. MaliekalJuly 22, 2025 at 10:22 AM

    " Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. " And the corruption of the best is the worst." Thanks for having excavated the Dharmasthala story for me. This report had faded from my memory... Like many new normals.. of our Kaliyuga. What is disgusting is the repetitveness of the action and the wanton Amnesia.. And Collective.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM

      The corruption of the best is the deadliest.

      I was not aware of this particular "corruption" until this morning. It stunned me. How would any society permit such things to go on for years?

      Delete
  2. Yamini MacLeanJuly 22, 2025 at 1:43 PM

    Hari Om
    Where men gather en masse, mischief will always arise... where mischief is not corrected, evil creeps in. For some reason this sad tale puts me in mind of the Epstein 'club'... power displaying how immoral it is. YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 22, 2025 at 4:05 PM

      I wouldn't dare to use the word 'mischief' here. This is beyond comprehension. Such things happening for years!

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJuly 22, 2025 at 6:29 PM

    Very scandalising and bone chilling! How would we leave our girl children work in cities, staying alone? And we are not given any security by the government! Where are we?
    Dawnanddew

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 22, 2025 at 9:10 PM

      Cities? And I'm speaking about temples.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJuly 22, 2025 at 10:40 PM

      More terrifying. Sorry for being preoccupied with personal issues!

      Delete
  4. magiceyeJuly 22, 2025 at 6:41 PM

    Horror of horrors unveiled.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AmbicaJuly 22, 2025 at 8:39 PM

    We aren't safe anywhere. Remember the small nomadic girl who was taped for 8 days in Kashmir. The world is full of beasts. It's Kalyug.

    ReplyDelete
  6. rupam sarmaJuly 22, 2025 at 8:48 PM

    Horrifying incident... So sad to read

    ReplyDelete
  7. Liz A.July 23, 2025 at 3:38 AM

    Chilling. And very, very sad. Powerful people get away with such things because no one holds them accountable. And while we remain in thrall to those with "power", nothing will change.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Linda's Relaxing LairJuly 23, 2025 at 4:07 AM

    Very sad.

    ReplyDelete
  9. peppylady (Dora)July 24, 2025 at 6:55 AM

    There plenty of sexual assaults in religion.

    ReplyDelete
  10. HaddockJuly 24, 2025 at 7:36 AM

    I wonder if heads would roll (in this case). I am sure there were many casualties than what is reported. Like Dora said above, there are plenty of sexual assaults in religion (any religion)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 24, 2025 at 9:34 AM

      Very powerful people are involved. So can't say what will happen. Most probably nothing much.

      Delete
  11. rifle range boyJuly 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM

    Religion gives a get-out-of-jail free card. Just promise the unattainable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 24, 2025 at 3:08 PM

      Religion probably is the most misused human instrument.

      Delete

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