Faith is sacred. But silence isn’t. In the lush lap of Karnataka, Dharmasthala has always been the sort of place where spirituality flows like the Netravati river, serene, unquestioned, revered.
It’s the kind of town where the temple doesn’t just feed your soul but also offers free food, shelter, healthcare, and a side of religious harmony: a Shiva temple managed by a Jain family with rituals conducted by Vaishnava Brahmins. India’s Unity in Diversity™ on steroids.

But this month, the headlines ripped the saffron curtain wide open.

Because now, Dharmasthala isn’t in the news for miracles. It’s there for mass graves.

The Whistleblower Who Dug Too Deep

One former temple sanitation worker claims he wasn’t just sweeping the holy grounds, he was burying bodies. A lot of them.

From 1995 to 2014, he alleges he was ordered to dispose of women’s and children’s corpses, many showing signs of sexual assault, strangulation, and trauma. That’s not an urban legend; that’s a human rights horror show.
And no, this isn't some ghost story gone viral on WhatsApp forwards Karnataka Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) is already digging (literally).

And what did they find?

  • Human bones. Multiple sites.
  • A PAN card near the remains. (Nothing screams murder mystery like government-issued ID at a burial pit.)
  • Over 15 skeletal fragments.

We’re not talking about ancient history here, we’re talking about the last couple of decades.

“A Town of Dharma Can’t Be a Town of Silence”

For years, activists and women’s rights groups have whispered about how many young women died “mysteriously” in Dharmasthala.

RememberSoujanya, the 17-year-old who was raped and murdered in 2012? Or Padmalatha, a temple staffer who died under suspicious circumstances? Both were dismissed as isolated cases.
Now, those same deaths are being reevaluated, and it’s starting to look like Dharmasthala may have a long history of sweeping not just dirt but dissent and death under the rug.

And the creepiest part?

The alleged burials reportedly took place in and around temple-owned land.

The Media Gag Order No One Ordered

In true “too powerful to question” fashion, the temple administration got a media gag order meaning journalists can’t even name-drop the deity or management in ongoing investigations.
But a YouTube channel said “Nope” and took that gag to the High Court, citing freedom of press and public interest.

if there's one thing scarier than a gag order, it's why someone felt the need to put it in place in the first place.

Pilgrimage vs. Privilege: When Spirituality Becomes a Smokescreen

Dharmasthala has long been painted as a utopia of dharma with its mass-scale annadanam, social justice projects, and Vedic-meets-Jain vibe.
But now, questions are being asked:

  • Is this a case of institutional decay hidden under the saffron fabric?
  • How many deaths were written off as “fate” because they happened on sacred land?
  • And how many voices stayed silent because “You can’t question God’s people” is our national motto?

Say Their Names, Find Their Stories, Demand Justice

The SIT is still excavating. Bones are surfacing. Pressure is mounting. And for once, the country isn’t treating “temple” like a synonym for “untouchable.” A holy town, a chilling whistleblower, and skeletons buried beneath silence—Dharmasthala is facing shocking allegations of mass graves and cover-ups. Here’s what no one told you about the scandal shaking Karnataka’s sacred ground.Women’s groups like AIDWA and the State Women’s Commission are pushing for total transparency. They’re asking for the temple’s grip to be removed from the investigation entirely.

Because here’s the truth: If faith demands silence in the face of violence, maybe we’re worshipping the wrong thing.

This isn’t just about Dharmasthala. It’s about how power hides behind ritual. How belief can be weaponized.
And how India, a country with 33 crore gods, still struggles to protect its daughters. It’s time we stop romanticizing “sacred spaces” and start scrutinizing them too.

Because behind every divine aura, there might just be a very human darkness.