Real Land Grab In Bolivia For Fake 'Hindu Nation': How 'Kailasa' Signed 1,000-Year Leases With Indigenous Groups
Last week, Bolivia arrested 20 alleged representatives of 'Kailasa', accusing them of "land trafficking" by signing 1,000-year leases with indigenous groups for vast tracts of the Amazon
He fled India in 2019 after being accused of child abduction, sexual assault and abuse, only to build a haven of his own that he proclaimed was the “first sovereign state for Hindus". Representatives of this so-called country, ‘United States of Kailasa’, even attended a UN meeting in 2023 and got themselves clicked with a number of leaders across the globe.
But, it looks like luck has run out for self-styled godman Nithyananda, who left behind a sprawling religious empire in India. Last week, Bolivia arrested 20 alleged representatives of ‘Kailasa’, accusing them of “land trafficking" by signing 1,000-year leases with indigenous groups for vast tracts of the Amazon.
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According to a report in The New York Times, these agreements were declared void and the Kailasa representatives were deported to their home countries, among them India, the United States, Sweden and China.
“Bolivia does not maintain diplomatic relations with the alleged nation ‘United States of Kailasa,’" Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, as per the report in The New York Times.
NEGOTIATED FOR LAND ‘THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF DELHI’
The New York Times reported that Pedro Guasico, a leader of one of the indigenous groups called the Baure, said their contact with ‘Kailasa’ representatives began in 2024 after they offered help with forest fires. They negotiated for land “three times the size of New Delhi", to which the Baure agreed for a 25-year deal that would fetch them close to $200,000 annually, the report said.
But, little did they know that the lease was for 1,000 years and included use of airspace and extraction of natural resources, the report said. “We made the mistake of listening to them. They offered us that money as an annual bonus for conserving and protecting our territory, but it was completely false," Guasico was quoted.
WHAT IS KAILASA?
‘Kailasa’ representatives have defined their “country" as the first sovereign state for Hindus, which was founded by Nithyananda, and is being run by displaced Hindus from around the world.
It is spearheaded by members of the Hindu Adi Shaivite minority community and provides a “safe haven" to all the world’s practicing, aspiring or persecuted Hindus, irrespective of race, gender, sect, caste, or creed, as per Kailasa’s website.
The website further states that there are 100 million Adi Shaivite Hindus and two billion practising Hindus. Languages spoken in the country are English, Sanskrit and Tamil and the religion professed is the Sanatana Hindu Dharma. The country is dedicated to the restoration of an “authentic" Hindu culture and civilisation after “years of oppression and subjugation", it states.
Kailasa claims it wants to revive the temple-based lifestyle, universal free healthcare, free education for all, vegetarianism, gender equality, and fight against global warming. It also wants to inculcate yoga and meditation and the gurukul education system in day-to-day life of its citizens.
WHO IS NITHYANANDA?
Nithyananda, whose real name is Rajashekharan, is a native of Tamil Nadu. He rose to prominence after founding an ashram near Bengaluru in the early 2000s.
His preachings are loosely based on those of Osho Rajneesh. In 2010, he hit the headlines after a video of him in a compromising position with an actress went viral. He was later charged with rape and arrested. He was also arrested again and chargesheeted in a separate case of rape.
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