Dharmasthala: Forcenturies, the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple has stood not merely as a place of worship but as a living institution of social reform. It has fed the hungry, freed families from crippling debt, fought alcoholism, educated rural youth, and lifted millions out of poverty. Yet today, it finds itself the target of a vicious vilification campaign – not by accident, but by design.

Behind the social media outrage and half-baked allegations lies an uncomfortable truth: Dharmasthala has disrupted entrenched exploitative networks. Its microfinance wing, SKDRDP, broke the back of moneylenders who thrived by charging 60% interest or more. By offering loans at 12%, the temple empowered poor families to escape generational debt traps. Every household freed is a direct financial loss to predatory lenders – their bitterness is predictable.

Its de-addiction drives, with over 1.3 lakh people rehabilitated and Navajeevi Committees sustaining sobriety, crippled the liquor syndicates that profited from rural despair. Its mass marriages removed dowry burdens and caste barriers. Its free healthcare and education uplifted villages and made communities less vulnerable to coercive religious conversion campaigns. In weakening these vulnerabilities, Dharmasthala has effectively blocked the financial and ideological pipelines of aggressive proselytisation networks. It is therefore no coincidence that we see a strange coalition of vested interests – conversion racketeers, liquor lobbies, usurious lenders, and their intellectual fellow travellers among left-leaning pencil pushers – united in discrediting an institution that has done more for social welfare than most governments. Even an unnamed MP from Tamil Nadu, with little understanding of Karnataka’s cultural fabric, appears to have joined this orchestrated chorus.

This is not about transparency or justice. It is a calculated attempt to erode the credibility of a centuries-old institution because it dared to challenge poverty, addiction, and exploitation. The storm around Dharmasthala is a battle for control – over minds, money, and power – dressed up as moral outrage.

The real question is: Will society allow disruptive forces to weaken an institution that has empowered 2.3 million people, or will it recognise this campaign for what it truly is – a desperate backlash from those who thrived on Karnataka’s misery?