Who is Nithyananda, self-styled godman who created fake nation ‘Kailasa’? 5 things to know
Nithyananda, self-proclaimed Hindu guru, calls himself “supreme pontiff”, a title not recognised in Hinduism, but his followers use it to validate his status.
The Bolivian government accused representatives of ‘Kailasa,’ the fake nation founded by fugitive godman Nithyananda, of "land trafficking" after they negotiated 1,000-year leases with indigenous groups for large areas of the Amazon.
According to the New York Times, at least 20 people linked to Kailasa were arrested last week over land-grabbing allegations.
The report on Thursday said that these agreements by Kailasa members were nullified, and they were deported to their respective countries, including India, the United States, Sweden, and China.
Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified its stance, stating, “Bolivia does not maintain diplomatic relations with the alleged nation ‘United States of Kailasa,’” as quoted by the New York Times.
5 facts about self-styled fugitive godman
- In 2023, MEA officials stated that Nithyananda, originally named Arunachalam Rajasekaran and born in Tamil Nadu on January 1, 1978, is believed to be in the United States and does not own an island near Ecuador, according to a 2023 Money Control report.
- Nithyananda, a self-styled godman, has given himself the title of "supreme pontiff" (SPH), a term not recognised in Hinduism. His followers, however, refer to him as "the SPH" to legitimize his status.
- The fugitive godman, in hiding since 2019, is wanted in India for multiple charges, including rape and sexual assault. In 2010, Nithyananda was arrested in Himachal Pradesh after being on the run since a video of him with actress Ranjitha surfaced on TV. He was charge-sheeted for rape, unnatural sex, cheating, criminal intimidation, and conspiracy.
- In 2019, an FIR was filed against him in Gujarat for allegedly kidnapping and wrongfully confining children to collect donations for his Ahmedabad ashram. Nithyananda claims to have founded the "United States of Kailasa (USK)" in 2019 and falsely states that it represents “two billion practising Hindus.” The Indian government has distanced itself from Nithyananda and his cult, instructing its missions in the US and South America to monitor him.
- In 2023, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi dismissed any official comment on Nithyananda, stating that India has no connection with him or his so-called “Hindu nation.” Government sources revealed that Indian missions have been instructed to deny any support to his representatives, emphasizing that Nithyananda is widely seen as a fraud.
