Leadership
Guided by spiritual and academic stewardship.
JSS is led by figures whose governance combines spiritual stewardship with academic administration — carrying the founder’s mission of value-based education into its eighth decade.
President
Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji
President, Janata Shikshana Samiti · Seer of Sri Pejavara Adhokshaja Matha, Udupi
Sri Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji is the present President of Janata Shikshana Samiti and the seer of the Pejavara Math, Udupi, succeeding the late Sri Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji. Born in 1964 at Haleyangady-Pakshikere in Dakshina Kannada, his pre-sannyasa name was Devidas Bhat, and he received sannyasa deeksha in 1988 at the age of 24.
He pursued Vedic studies at the Admar Gurukula and Vedanta Vidwat at the SMSP Sanskrit College, and holds a B.A. from Poorna Prajna Evening College, Udupi. He is conversant in Kannada, Tulu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English, and continues the tradition of Dvaita Vedanta in the lineage of Sri Madhvacharya.
Executive & academic leadership
The people who lead the trust.
Names, titles and biographical facts below are drawn from JSS’s own published sources.
Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade
Chairman
Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala, is the Chairman of Janata Shikshana Samiti. The management of JSS was entrusted to him on 18 October 1973, and under his stewardship the trust grew into a comprehensive educational ecosystem.
The hereditary administrator of the Dharmasthala temple since 1968, he is widely recognised for his work in education, rural development and social welfare across Karnataka, and was conferred the Padma Bhushan (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan (2015).
Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade
Chairman
Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala, is the Chairman of Janata Shikshana Samiti. The management of JSS was entrusted to him on 18 October 1973, and under his stewardship the trust grew into a comprehensive educational ecosystem.
The hereditary administrator of the Dharmasthala temple since 1968, he is widely recognised for his work in education, rural development and social welfare across Karnataka, and was conferred the Padma Bhushan (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan (2015).
Dr. Ajith Prasad
Secretary
Dr. Ajith Prasad is the present Secretary of the Janata Shikshana Samiti group of institutions, leading the day-to-day activities of the Samiti. He also serves as Principal of the JSS Shri Manjunatheshwara Institute of UG & PG Studies, Vidyagiri, Dharwad.
He holds master’s degrees in both History and Economics, and is known for his close involvement in the functioning of the group’s schools and for initiatives aimed at making the institutions self-sufficient.
Dr. Ajith Prasad
Secretary
Dr. Ajith Prasad is the present Secretary of the Janata Shikshana Samiti group of institutions, leading the day-to-day activities of the Samiti. He also serves as Principal of the JSS Shri Manjunatheshwara Institute of UG & PG Studies, Vidyagiri, Dharwad.
He holds master’s degrees in both History and Economics, and is known for his close involvement in the functioning of the group’s schools and for initiatives aimed at making the institutions self-sufficient.
How leadership is organised
Stewardship, governance, administration.
Three layers carry the trust from spiritual guidance down to day-to-day operations.
The President, as seer of the Pejavara Math, and the Chairman provide moral and spiritual direction, anchoring JSS in the values it was founded on.
The Governing Body sets policy and oversees the trust’s institutions.
The Secretary and institutional heads manage academics, finance and daily operations across the campus.
Late H.H. Sri Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji
Late H.H. Sri Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji
32nd Pontiff, Shri Pejavar Adhokshaja Matha, Udupi (1931–2019)
The spiritual and foundational force behind Janata Shikshana Samiti, H.H. Sri Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji served as the institution’s first President, providing the moral authority and institutional backing that shaped JSS into what it is today.
It was under his direct stewardship that the most pivotal moment in JSS history unfolded — on 18th October 1973, he formally invited Poojya Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala, to take over the management of JSS, establishing the governance structure that drives the institution’s growth to this day. He also played a vital role in expanding the campus onto Mailaralingana Gudda, which was renamed Vidyagiri under his blessing.
One of the most revered seers of modern Karnataka, he completed five Paryaya terms at the Sri Krishna Temple, Udupi — a distinction held by no other seer in the Ashta Matha tradition since the 16th century. He attained Maha Samadhi on 29th December 2019 at Udupi, at the age of 88.
In recognition
Dr. N. Vajrakumar
Former Secretary · 1973–2022
Dr. N. Vajrakumar served as Secretary of Janata Shikshana Samiti for forty-nine years, from 1973 to 2022. Through his vision and dedication he laid the foundation for much of the growth of the JSS group of institutions, and is remembered for his leadership and his personal, human touch in running the Samiti.
Institutional heads
Principals across the campus.
Each institution on the Vidyagiri campus is led by its own Principal or Director, responsible for academics and student life within that institution — from the schools and PU colleges to the degree, professional and research institutes.