Pergade family

The Pergade family is a Jain Bunt family who descend from the creator of the Dharmasthala Temple.

Birmanna Pergade and his wife Ammu Ballalthi and are the hereditary trustees of the temple. The eldest male member assumes the position of Dharma Adhikari (chief administrator) and uses the title Heggade. The Heggade was the feudal lord of the temple town and solved civil or criminal disputes. This was a judicial function and continues even to this day: The Heggade sits in judgement on hundreds of civil complaints, known as hoyulu, each day. About nearly twenty generations of the Pergade family have assumed the position of Dharma Adhikari.

The present Dharma Adhikari is Veerendra Heggade.

The list of previous Dharma Adhikari is as follows:

Dharma Adhikari number	Name		From	To
1		Varmanna Heggade (Bermanna Pergade)
2		Padmayya Heggade
3		Candayya Heggade I
4		Heggade
5		Manjayya Heggade I
6		Heggade
7		Candayya Heggade II
8		Devapparaja Heggade
9		Anantayya Heggade
10		Vrsabhayya Heggade
11		Gummanna Heggade
12		Varadayya Heggade
13		Candayya Heggade III
14		Kumarayya Heggade
15		Candayya Heggade IV
16		Manjayya Heggade II
17		Dharmapala Heggade
18		Candayya Heggade V		1918 C.E.
19		Manjayya Heggade III	1918 C.E.	1955 C.E.
20		Ratnavarma Heggade	1955 C.E.	1968 C.E.
21		Veerendra Heggade	1968 C.E.	Present