Shocking allegations from Karnataka’s famed Dharmasthala temple
A former sanitation worker at Dharmasthala, one of southern India’s most renowned pilgrimage centres, has alleged that temple officials were involved in a decades-long cover-up of hundreds of murders — many reportedly involving sexual assault.
The whistleblower personally buried scores of bodies under threats of violence, with warnings that his own family would be harmed if he refused.
A statement years in the making
In a police complaint filed on 3 July, the man described what he called a “burden of guilt” that had haunted him since his time at the temple between 1995 and 2014. He alleged that bodies, mostly of women and girls, began appearing near the Nethravathi River, many reportedly unclothed and bearing injuries, strangulation marks, or other signs of sexual assault.
He further claimed that murders also took place in the town itself, with destitute men allegedly suffocated in chairs and left for him to dispose of. He reportedly wrote, “I have buried hundreds of bodies… the guilt is haunting me,” noting that the victims’ remains were often dumped in forest areas or along abandoned roads instead of graveyards.
“Instructions came from the top”
The whistleblower told investigators and media outlets that orders to bury the bodies came directly from temple authorities, allegedly relayed through intermediaries. He claimed he alone buried 70–80 bodies at one of 13 reported sites, while his team handled dozens more.
He said he was forced in some cases to burn corpses with diesel before burial. Locals reportedly saw burials take place in daylight, but no one intervened.
Skeletal remains uncovered during exhumation
On July 31, investigators reported recovering over 100 bone fragments and a skull from the sixth site identified by the whistleblower. Forensic teams believe the remains likely belong to a male, though testing is ongoing. The discovery marked the most significant find since the Special Investigation Team (SIT) began excavations.
Earlier the same day, partial remains — about 15 bones — were also found at another burial site, known as Site No. 6. These were the first physical remains unearthed in the case and are now undergoing forensic analysis.
Flight from Dharmasthala
The man fled Dharmasthala in 2014 after someone linked to the temple management allegedly sexually harassed a girl in his family.
He is now calling for the exhumation of bodies and proper funeral rites for the victims. He says he is willing to help locate burial sites, though some may have been lost to erosion, forest growth, or construction.
Investigation gathers pace
Public outrage over the allegations led Karnataka’s government to form a Special Investigation Team on July 22.
Police have excavated fifteen sites so far, but they found remains only at the two sites on July 31.
Families of missing girls and unresolved murder cases in Dharmasthala — some dating back to the 1980s — have urged the SIT to reopen their files.
A temple spokesperson has stated that the administration supports a “fair and transparent investigation.” Police say they are prepared to seek court approval to exhume suspected burial grounds.
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