A few days after Newark city in New Jersey said that it was scammed when it signed an agreement to become the sister city of the ‘Hindu nation Kailasa’ established by Swamy Nithyananda, because the nation does not exist, now reports have emerged that the ‘United States of Kailasa’ had established ‘cultural partnerships’ with over 30 US cities.
According to the website of Kailasa, there are more than 30 cities in the US that have signed a cultural partnership with it, including Richmond, Virginia, Dayton, Ohio, Buena Park, Florida and others spread all over the country.
Detailing the findings, Fox News anchor James Watters said, “We are finding out the supreme fake pontiff has a long list of cities he has duped.” He mentioned that certain American localities were contacted to gauge their opinions on concluding a deal with the fictitious country, “And so far most of the cities have confirmed these proclamations are in fact true.”
A fake Indian guru scammed 30 American cities #FoxNews pic.twitter.com/Xhpc3XIzZO
— Jesse Watters Primetime (@jesseprimetime) March 16, 2023
Jacksonville in North Carolina told the news channel, “Our proclamations with Kailasa are not an endorsement. They are a response to a request and we do not verify the requested information.”
Fox News slammed the cities for failing to ‘Google’ any information about the so-called country. “If someone wants a proclamation, someone gets a proclamation. They’ll just say you’re an exotic Hindu Island and they’ll name a street after you,” he said further.
The news channel revealed that those running the federal government were also falling for the faux country, not simply mayors or city councils. The anchor emphasised that two members of Congress, Congresswoman Norma Torres of California and a member of the House Appropriations Committee had also awarded Kailasa ‘special congressional recognition,’ according to the self-styled guru.
Earlier this month, Susan Garofalo, Press Secretary in the Department of Communications, City of Newark, stated, “We learned about the circumstances surrounding Kailasa, the City of Newark immediately took action and rescinded the sister city agreement,” on January 18.
“Based on deception, the ceremony was groundless and void. Although this was a regrettable incident, the City of Newark remains committed to partnering with people from diverse cultures in order to enrich each other with connectivity, support, and mutual respect,” she added.
Who is Nithyananda?
Nithyananda’s real name is Arunachalam Rajasekaran. He was born in Tamil Nadu, India, on January 1, 1978. He alleges that during one of his spiritual encounters with the mystic, Mahavatar Babaji gave him the name Nithyananda. In 2002, he began to make public appearances as a spiritual leader.
In 2003, the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam Ashram was founded in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He gained a huge following due to his claims of possessing superpower abilities and being an enlightened soul.
A self-proclaimed godman, Nithyananda is the main accused in several cases in India, including rape, torture, kidnapping, and wrongful confinement of children, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He is also being reportedly investigated by French authorities for an alleged fraud of $400,000.
He fled India in 2019 and created a so-called country known as the ‘United States of Kailasa (USK),’ also called ‘Kailasa,’ in the same year.
What is Kailasa?
‘Kailasa’ or ‘United States of Kailasa’ is a so-called independent Hindu nation established by Nithyananda, which is reportedly located off the coast of Ecuador. According to its website, it has its own passport, flag, and even a Bank named ‘Reserve Bank of Kailasa.’ Nithyananda even announced flights to his nation in December 2020. It is even offering free e-citizenship to people.
On the website of Kailasa, it is described as ‘the greatest Hindu nation’ on Earth. It is a ‘Nation without borders created by dispossessed Hindus who lost the right to practise Hinduism authentically in their own countries’.
It even claims to have established diplomatic relations with and has received recognition from nations, states, and world leaders across the globe. However, the website lacks a crucial detail, any physical address. It does not list any address, does not have any map showing its location on the globe, and does not mention its geographical location.
In fact, even though Kaisala has a website filled with lots of information, there is no information about its location, and therefore there is no evidence that the ‘Hindu nation actually exists. While reports claim that Nithyananda bought an island near South America, there is no evidence of it. Moreover, while it is possible to purchase islands, such purchases don’t make them sovereign, the island continues to be part of the country that controls it.
Last month, the representatives of ‘Kailasa’ were even seen at two UN public meetings in Geneva in a bid to gain recognition and acceptance at an international forum, where they claimed Nithyananda is ‘persecuted’ by India.
A territory cannot be referred to as a country until it has a permanent population, a government, and the ability to interact with other countries, according to the 1933 Montevideo Convention, which is part of customary international law. Therefore, United Nations does not recognise ‘Kailasa’ as a country.
