Kailaasa Explained

Kailaasa, officially United States of Kailaasa (USK), is a non-existent micronation founded by Indian self-proclaimed godman Nithyananda in December 2019. Nithyananda, widely described as a cult-leader,[1] claims that Kailaasa is the world's only sovereign Hindu nation.

Statements by purported representatives of Kailaasa have described it as "a borderless service-oriented nation". However, news reports suggest that it is located on "an island in Ecuador, near Trinidad and Tobago". Kailaasa's existence is not recognised by any government or intergovernmental organisation.[2] However, representatives claiming to be from Kailaasa have repeatedly contacted various government bodies at the local, national and international level seeking recognition, often in the form of sister city arrangements, resulting in various scandals.[3] Nithyananda's whereabouts are unknown, and a warrant for his arrest has been issued in India in relation to rape allegations.[4]

Background

See main article: Nithyananda. Nithyananda (born Arunachalam Rajasekaran; 1 January 1978) is an Indian spiritual leader and a self-styled godman.[5] He is the founder of Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, a trust that owns temples, gurukulas, and ashrams in many countries. In 2002 (age 24), he began his public life under the name Nithyananda.[6] He says that this name was given to him by Mahavatar Babaji in a mystical experience during his monastic wandering days in the Himalayas.[7] In 2003, he started his ashram Dhyanapeetam in Bidadi near Bangalore, Karnataka.[8] Over the following years, he would associate with the Florida-based Hindu University of America,[9] Madurai Adheenam,[10] [11] and Mahanirvani Akhara.[12] He has made various supernatural and pseudoscientific claims, particularly in relation to his own abilities,[13] and has claimed to be an incarnation of Parashiva.[14]

Nithyananda is widely described as a cult-leader.[15] [16] He has been the subject of several public controversies, including allegations of rape, which he denies.[17] His whereabouts are unknown, and a court in Karnataka has issued a warrant for his arrest following failure to appear in court. He is the subject of a Discovery+ web series, My Daughter Joined a Cult.[18]

Timeline

2019

In December 2019, Nithyananda claimed that he had created a new "Hindu nation" microstate called Kailaasa (also known as Shrikailasa & United States of Kailaasa[19] or USK[20]) and claimed to issue passports, currency, and other documents.[21] [22] [23] [24] In his announcement he said, "Kailaasa is a nation without borders created by dispossessed Hindus around the world who lost the right to practice Hinduism authentically in their own countries".[25] Nithyananda claims that Kailaasa is the world's only sovereign Hindu nation.[26] Kailaasa has also been described as a network of non-governmental organisations spanning three continents.[27] [28]

A statement by someone identified as the press secretary of Kailaasa said that the country "was established much in the spirit of a country like the Sovereign Order of Malta, a borderless service-oriented nation", and that it "is operated through a group of NGOs from multiple countries",[29] suggesting that it does not exist as geographical territory. By contrast, India Today reported that Nithyananda had bought an island "in Ecuador, near Trinidad and Tobago" for Kailaasa.

2020

In August 2020, Nithyananda announced the Reserve Bank of Kailaasa and released its official gold currency, the Kailashian dollar. He said the design of the coins was inspired by the currency of "the ancient 56 Hindu nations".[30] He said that the bank would be structured on the lines of the Vatican Bank.[31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] In December 2020, Nithyananda announced that Kailaasa had begun issuing three-day visas for tourists.[37] According to his announcement, visa-holders will have to travel from Australia aboard a newly launched private chartered-flight service, Garuda, and all visitors will be provided with food and accommodation during the course of their stay.[38]

2021

On 19 April 2021, citing COVID-19 cases across the world, Nithyananda banned travel to Kailaasa from India, Brazil, Europe, and Malaysia.[39] [40] [41] On 7 June 2021, media reported that while answering a disciple during a Amman reading, Nithyananda said that COVID would end when he is received in India with respect and performs pilgrimage to all Shakti Pitha.[42] [43] [44] [45]

2022

In August 2022, a representative for Nithyananda wrote to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to request political asylum citing Nithyananda's ill-health. The letter contained an offer to invest in Sri Lanka on condition of asylum being granted and the donation of medical equipment required for treatment. The request demanded the establishment of political ties with Kailaasa so that an air ambulance would transport Nithyananda as a head of state.[46]

2023

Nithyananda approached the United Nations again, through a woman identifying herself as Vijayapriya Nithyananda and claiming to be the "permanent ambassador" to the UN of his new country of Kailaasa, at 23 February 2023 open public meetings of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, complaining in testimony and a written submission about persecution of "the people of Kailaasa", seeking international recognition for Kailaasa as the "first sovereign state for Hindus", and claiming Nithyanada to be the "supreme pontiff of Hinduism". The UN was reported to have ignored the Kailaasa submission as "irrelevant".In November 2023, the chief of staff of Paraguay's agricultural ministry was replaced after the government discovered that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with representatives of Kailaasa.[47]

In 2023, Newark mayor Ras Baraka invited Kailasa to city hall to join in a "cultural trade agreement".[48] City officials, including Baraka, took photos and signed documents to make Newark a sister city with Kailaasa. Newark City Hall called the scam a "regrettable incident," a council member referred to it as an "oversight," and Newark residents expressed embarrassment that city officials did not bother to perform a basic Google search to determine whether "Kailaasa" was a real country or city.[49]

2024

Nithyananda visited the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly held in Nairobi during March, where a photo was taken of him with Ecuadorian environmental minister Sade Fritschi. In response to criticism, the ministry issued a statement declaring that the meeting was not planned, the delegates had approached Fritschi to exchange greetings, and that Kailaasa was not a recognized state.[50]

2025

In March 2025, officials in Bolivia said they had arrested 20 people associated with Kailaasa. The officials accused those arrested of "land trafficking" after they negotiated 1,000-year leases with Indigenous groups for swathes of the Amazon rainforest. Those arrested were deported to their home countries, including India, the United States, Sweden, and China.[51] They had started arriving in Bolivia in September 2024, offering various services such as free meditation sessions and promising food aid and herbal medicine. They aimed to use the provisions on Native Community Lands in Bolivia, which have increased autonomy for the Indigenous communities that live on them without interference from the Bolivian state, and created deals to lease and exploit nearly 500,000 hectares of land for a total cost under US$200,000, despite the fact that they are communal and cannot be legally transferred to others. Some of their delegates had been invited to the anniversary event of the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia, where they met with president Luis Arce. After the deals were revealed, the Indigenous communities involved expressed feelings of disappointment and betrayal against the representatives who had agreed to them, some of whom had apparently gone into hiding for fear of reprisal.[52]

Notes and References

  1. News: Medeiros . Dan . 17 March 2023 . Fall River gave 'official proclamation' to Indian scammer guru who invented a fake country . 17 January 2024 . . Fall River, Massachusetts.
  2. News: Ghosh . Sanchari . 17 March 2023 . How Swami Nithyananda's 'fake country' Kailasa fooled 30 US cities with 'Sister City' scam? Explained . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317105342/https://www.livemint.com/news/india/how-swami-nithyananda-s-fake-country-kailasa-fooled-30-us-cities-with-sister-city-scam-explained-11679042510469.html . 17 March 2023 . 17 January 2024 . . Bangalore.
  3. Web site: Stieb . Matt . 23 March 2023 . How a Fake Hindu Nation Scammed Its Way Across America . 17 January 2024 . . "Intelligencer" department.
  4. News: Arrest Warrant Against Nithyananda In 2010 Rape Case . https://web.archive.org/web/20240417191239/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/arrest-warrant-against-nithyananda-in-2010-rape-case-3269124 . 2024-04-17 . 2025-10-29 . NDTV.com.
  5. News: Sawer . Patrick . Joshi . Poonam . 11 December 2022 . Work of cult leader wanted by Indian police promoted in Houses of Parliament Diwali pamphlet . limited . 12 December 2022 . . London.
  6. The Unexpurgated Nithyananda Interview . 12 August 2021 . . New Delhi.
  7. Book: Nithyananda, Paramahamsa . His Name is Nithyananda . 2006 . Nithyananda Vedic Sciences University Press . 978-1-934364-30-7 . 2nd . 6.
  8. Web site: 'I am a virgin. I have no libido' . 27 December 2020 . . West Bengal.
  9. Web site: Hindu University in US expands its Vedic base . 27 December 2020 . Rediff.com.
  10. Web site: 28 April 2012 . Nithyananda 293rd pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam .
  11. News: 2012-10-19 . Nithyananda removed from Madurai Adheenam . 2025-02-28 . The Hindu . en-IN . 0971-751X.
  12. Web site: 14 February 2013 . Nithyananda conferred 'Mahamandaleshwar' title . 9 October 2017 . Press Trust of India (PTI) . Rediff.com.
  13. News: Viegas . Vanessa . 21 September 2018 . Nithyananda delivers a brain freeze . 21 September 2018 . Deccan Chronicle.
  14. News: Gowda . Varsha . 17 June 2022 . Rise and fall of a controversial Godman . 16 January 2023 . Deccan Herald.
  15. Web site: Pundir . Pallavi . 24 March 2023 . This Fake Country Is Run by a Guru Accused of Rape. How Did It End Up at the UN? . 17 January 2024 . Vice.
  16. Web site: . 17 March 2023 . Nithyananda's Fake Nation 'Kailasa' Duped 30 US Cities With 'Cultural' Agreements: Report . 16 January 2023 . Outlook.
  17. Web site: 2024-02-03 . Nithyananda Ashram case: Gujarat HC dismisses father's plea, rules daughters not in illegal confinement . 2024-02-03 . The Indian Express . en.
  18. Web site: Singh . Suhani . 9 June 2022 . How documentary series 'My Daughter Joined a Cult' shines a light on India's obsession with godmen . 21 August 2022 . India Today.
  19. News: . 30 November 2023 . Paraguay official resigns after signing agreement with fake country. 1 December 2023 . AP News . Associated Press.
  20. News: Sebastian . Meryl . Nithyananda's Kailasa: UN to ignore remarks of fugitive India guru's fictional country . 17 January 2024 . BBC News.
  21. Web site: Pinto . Nolan . 3 December 2019 . Rape-accused Nithyananda buys island, sets up own nation Kailaasa near Ecuador . https://web.archive.org/web/20230321163709/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/where-is-rape-accused-self-styled-godman-nithyananda-the-answer-lies-in-a-new-nation-1624879-2019-12-03 . 21 March 2023 . 29 December 2020 . India Today.
  22. Web site: 4 December 2019 . Fugitive rape-accused Nithyananda declares his own Hindu island nation 'Kailaasa' near Ecuador . 4 December 2019 . . Noida, India.
  23. Web site: Nithyananda buys island, forms own 'nation' called 'Kailaasa' . 28 December 2020 . . Kochi, India.
  24. Web site: 2 September 2022 . Life in danger: Rape-accused Nithyananda seeks medical asylum in Sri Lanka . 3 September 2022 . India Today.
  25. Web site: 2019-12-03 . On The Run From Law, Nithyananda Establishes His Own 'Nation' Called 'Kailaasa' Near Ecuador . 2024-04-26 . News18 . en.
  26. Web site: Mishra . Himanshu . 21 December 2020 . Rape accused Nithyananda cites assassination threats for not coming back to India . 27 December 2020 . India Today.
  27. Web site: Kumar . Ankit . 21 August 2020 . Exclusive: Behind Nithyananda's Kailaasa empire, a hidden maze of companies and NGOs . 27 December 2020 . India Today.
  28. Web site: Nithyananda says 29 people applied to live in Kailasa, launches 'E-embassy' plan . 24 April 2021 . . Kochi, India.
  29. News: Does Kailasa exist? Where is it located? Nithyananda representatives respond . https://archive.today/20230412180147/https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/does-kailasa-exist-where-is-it-located-nithyananda-representatives-respond-10277861.html . 12 April 2023 . 12 April 2023 . MoneyControl.
  30. Web site: 29 August 2020 . Reserve Bank of Kailasa: What is Nithyananda's 'central bank and currency'? . 25 December 2020 . The Indian Express.
  31. News: 21 December 2020 . Rape accused Nithyananda cites assassination threats for not coming back to India . India Today.
  32. Web site: 22 August 2020 . Nithyananda launches Reserve Bank of Kailasa: How a fugitive rape-accused is building his own 'nation' . India Today.
  33. Web site: Rockwell . Lew . The World Banking System Has a New Competitor . 25 December 2020 . LewRockwell.com.
  34. Web site: 30 August 2020 . Is he a 'nutty' godman or is Nithyananda a Hinduism icon in New India? . 25 December 2020 . National Herald.
  35. Web site: 24 August 2020 . Reserve Bank of Kailasa, Kailashian Dollar: All you need to know about Nithyananda's 'central bank and currency' . 25 December 2020 . Deccan Herald.
  36. Web site: 22 August 2020 . Rape Accused, Fugitive Godman Nithyananda Launches Reserve Bank of Kailasa on Ganesh Chaturthi 2020 . 25 December 2020 . India.com.
  37. Web site: 19 December 2020 . Absconding godman Nithyananda offers 3-day visa to 'nation' . 28 December 2020 . Hindustan Times.
  38. Web site: Mishra . Ashutosh . 18 December 2020 . Nithyananda, absconding rape accused, announces visa for Kailasa, flights from Australia . 28 December 2020 . India Today.
  39. Web site: Nithyananda Bans Travellers From India To 'Kailasa', Cites COVID-19 Surge . 23 April 2021 . NDTV.com . New Delhi Television.
  40. Web site: 23 April 2021 . Fugitive godman Swami Nithyananda bans Indians from entering 'Kailasa' over Covid surge . 23 April 2021 . The New Indian Express.
  41. Web site: COVID surge: Nithyananda shuts borders of Kailasa to India travellers . 23 April 2021 . . Kochi, India.
  42. News: Covid-19 Pandemic Will End Only When I Land in India, Claims Nithyananda . 8 June 2021 . . India subsite.
  43. Web site: ഇന്ത്യയിൽ കോവിഡ് തീരും, ഞാൻ അവിടെ കാലുകുത്തുമ്പോൾ: നിത്യാനന്ദ . 8 June 2021 . . ml.
  44. Web site: ভারতের মাটিতে পা দিলেই পালাবে করোনা! আজব দাবি স্বঘোষিত ধর্মগুরু স্বামী নিত্যানন্দের . 8 June 2021 . . bn.
  45. Web site: நான் காலடி எடுத்து வைத்தால் இந்தியாவை விட்டு கொரோனா ஓடிவிடும்... சாமியார் நித்யானந்தா சர்ச்சை பேச்சு..! . 8 June 2021 . Tamil.AsianetNews.com . . ta.
  46. Rape-accused Nithyananda seeks medical asylum in Sri Lanka . 3 September 2022 . Television production . India Today.
  47. News: Aitken . Peter . 2 December 2023 . South American official fired after signing agreement with country made up by Indian 'holy' conman . 17 January 2024 . Fox News.
  48. News: Mashal . Mujib . Trigo . María Silvia . K.B . Pragati . 2025-04-03 . The Country Was Fake. But Its Land Grab in Bolivia Was Real. . 2025-04-03 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  49. Web site: City of Newark falls for Sister City scam: "Whose job was it to do a simple Google search?". CBS News . Bauman . Ali . March 8, 2023.
  50. Web site: Yalilé . Loaiza . 2025-05-11 . Qué es Kailasa, el país ficticio que hizo quedar en ridículo a la Ministra de Ambiente de Ecuador . es . What is Kailasa, the fictional country that made Ecuador's Minister of the Environment look ridiculous? . 31 March 2024 . infobae.
  51. News: Mashal . Mujib . Silvia Trigo . María . K.B. . Pragati . 2025-04-03 . The Country Was Fake. But Its Land Grab in Bolivia Was Real. . The New York Times . 2025-04-05 . en.
  52. Web site: Caio. Ruvenal. 2025-05-11. Kailasa, the fake country used by phony Hindu monks to try to claim Indigenous land in Bolivia. 16 April 2025. EL PAÍS English.

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