For a country as old as India, its heritage is its pride. Though vestiges of ancient India have been lost to the ravages of marauding armies, there is still enough that needs great care and protection. The desire to preserve this ancient culture has to come from the people.
Perhaps this thought inspired Shri Veerendra Heggade, to take upon himself the noble task of preserving the ancient heritages of India. He even undertook restoration in some cases.
Manuscripts
Ancient history, religious traditions, literature and even astrology have been recorded in ancient manuscripts which were generally strips of parchment, while older texts were inscribed on copper sheets. Unfortunately many of these ancient manuscripts have not been preserved and maintained. Dr. Heggade formed the Shri Manjunatheshwara Cultural Research Foundation to locate, preserve and in some cases restore these priceless treasures.
There are over 5000 invaluable manuscripts in the collection, most of them being in Sanskrit, Kannada and Tulu. Some are in Prakrit and Tamil. It includes 2732 Kannada Manuscripts. They cover subjects like Valmiki’s Ramayana, Bhaskarachary’s Jyotisa Siddantha Shiromane, Bana’s Nataka and a number of them are on the Upanishadhs and the Sastras. The Tulu manuscripts include some Yakshgana Prasangas. There is even a copy of the Holy Bible translated from the Latin Vulgate and edited with notes by the Rev. Geo Leo Haydock, published in the United States in 1609.
The Foundation not only collects and preserves ancient manuscripts, but also brings together scholars and experts to decipher these manuscripts and translate them into modern languages so that these gems of ancient literature will once again find a place in the canon of Indian literature. Researchers are allowed to use the collection. Extreme care and scientific methods are used to preserve these ancient manuscripts. Very soon the entire collection will be microfilmed for the use of posterity.
Car Museum
Anyone who knows him would agree that Shri Heggade is not a person who does things by half – measures .Therefore it’s no surprise that what started as a childhood passion for cars and driving has now taken shape as a museum that showcases and restores over 100 vintage cars.
The museum, situated in Dharmasthala is an ode to Shri Heggade’s penchant for perfection. The cars are scrupulously maintained, and renovated with utmost care, all these vintage cars are kept in working condition. Shri Heggade takes great pleasure in personally overseeing these conditioning and restorations of these cars to their original glory.
Every car has an interesting story about how it became a part of the museum. A 1903 Renault holds a place of pride in the museum, along with a custom built 1949 Daimler which belonged to the Maharajah of Mysore and a 1929 Studebaker which was used by Mahatma Gandhi.
Ancient Temple Chariots
These chariots are yet another portion of our heritage that drew the attention of Shri Heggade. These beautiful chariots of the Gods have become victims of the ravages of time. Even the temples, who once took great pride in these beautiful works of art and wooden sculpture, were unable to maintain them. Such temple chariots were brought to Dharmasthala and restored to their original grandeur by a team of dedicated craftsmen.
Manjusha Museum
During his early years, Shri Veerendra Heggade had developed tremendous interest in collecting old antiques during his travels. To add to this, people who knew about this interest, began gifting Shri Heggade with whatever antiques they could lay their hands on. In the course of time, this simple hobby grew to such an extent that Shri Heggade was forced to establish the Manjusha Museum at Dharmasthala in order to house this collection which represented the heritage of our country. It is perhaps one of the largest and most exhaustive museums in the region. It houses a remarkable collection of old cook ware and utensils, coins, cameras, sculptures, weapons and a host of other things.
Manjusha, located in Dharmasthala, has a unique collection of heritage objects and artifacts, which were in use till recently in the coastal areas. The Manjusha Museum displays a rare collection of Indian and International antiques and contemporary artifacts.
Manjusha, located in Dharmasthala, has a unique collection of heritage objects and artifacts, which were in use till recently in the coastal areas. The Manjusha Museum displays a rare collection of Indian and International antiques and contemporary artifacts.
Shri Heggade’s love for preserving the Indian cultural heritage has resulted in a vast collection of Indian stone and metal sculptures, paintings, items of jewelry, objects of worship and utilitarian objects created by the craftsmen of the coastal area. This vast collection has been accumulated over 35 years of painstaking efforts. The collection does not cover just heritage objects. A keen observer of the collection at Manjusha will be surprised by a beautiful collection of items of common usage like pens, spectacles, nut crackers, toys, etc. Some of these objects are hundreds of years old.