Kailasa is a micronation founded by Hindu guru Nithyananda in December 2019. Nithyananda, who has been described as leading a cult,[1][2][3] claimed that he had created a new "Hindu nation" microstate, and claims that Kailaasa is the world's only sovereign Hindu nation. Kailaasa has been variously described as an internationally dispersed network of non-governmental organisations, a fictional or fake country, and a scam or con.
History
In December 2019, Nithyananda claimed that he had created a new "Hindu nation" microstate called Kailaasa (also known as Shrikailasa & United States of Kailaasa[4] or USK[5]) and claimed to issue passports, currency, and other documents.[6][7][8][9] 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".[10] Nithyananda claims that Kailaasa is the world's only sovereign Hindu nation.[11] Kailaasa has also been described as a network of non-governmental organisations spanning three continents.[12][13]
According to a statement by someone identified as the press secretary of Kailasa stated: "It was established much in the spirit of a country like the Sovereign Order of Malta, a borderless service-oriented nation", and the MoneyControl website reporting this (based on CBS News coverage) also stated that Kailasa "is operated through a group of NGOs from multiple countries",[14] suggesting (along with "Kailaasa is a nation without borders") that it does not exist as geographical territory. By contrast, India Today reported (relying largely on self-published promotional material at Kailaasa.org), that Nithyananda had bought an island off the coast of Ecuador for Kailasa; however, the article also said it was "near Trinidad and Tobago",[6] which is physically impossible since those islands are on the opposite side of the South American continent from Ecuador.
In August 2020, Nithyananda announced the Reserve Bank of Kailaasa and released its official gold currency, the Kailashian dollar.[7] He said the design of the coins was inspired by the currency of "the ancient 56 Hindu nations".[15] He said that the bank would be structured on the lines of the Vatican Bank.[16][17][18][19][20][21] In December 2020, Nithyananda announced that Kailaasa had begun issuing three-day visas for tourists.[22] 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.[22][23]
On 19 April 2021, citing COVID-19 cases across the world, Nithyananda banned travel to Kailaasa from India, Brazil, Europe, and Malaysia.[24][25][26] 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.[27][28][29][30]
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.[9][31]
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 Kailasa", 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".[5]
The general consensus among the mainstream press is that Kailaasa is a fictional "fake country" and even a scam or con.[4][5][32][1][33][34][35][36]
Sister Cities
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.[4][34] Reporting by New York magazine in 2023 suggests that Kailaasa-related activities have actually been pursued by Nithyananda for at least 20 years, including various attempts to convince American, Canadian, and other places to enter into "sister city" arrangements with and other forms of acknowledgement of Kailaasa, which has resulted in several scandals from city to national levels.[37]
In 2023, Newark mayor Ras Baraka invited Kailasa to city hall to join in a "cultural trade agreement". City officials, including Baraka, took photos and signed documents to make Newark a sister city with Kailasa. 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 "Kailasa" was a real country or city.[38]
