By Sana Fazili
"E is not equal to MC²," Nithyananda said in a video in 2018 which went viral instantly as he contested Einstein's breakthrough equation. He further said how a vegetarian person's brain would understand his concepts more than that of non-veg person's brain. Much of his monolgue was incomprehensible as he gave his own definition of energy and matter. However, the video became a goldmine for memers.
While Nithyananda became the butt of all jokes in 2018 because of his theories, there were serious allegations against him. Nithyananda was charged with rape and illegal confinement of children, among other things, before he fled India in November 2019.
A month later he formed his "country" called the United States of Kailasa which apparently has its own government, reserve bank, constitution, flag and even permanent ambassadors who recently attended a UN meeting in Geneva.
On February 24, a woman clad in saffron clothes and jewellery introduced herself as as the permanent ambassador of the 'United States of Kailasa' at UN. She called Kailasa the first sovereign state for Hindus and said that how Nithyananda, the 'Supreme Pontiff', is facing persecution.
Here is all you need to know about Nithyananda and his country Kailasa:
Who is Nithyananda?
Nithyananda is a self-styled godman who founded Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, a religious organisation that offers yoga, meditation and fitness courses, according to The Hindu. Founded in 2003, the organisation also operates temples, gurukuls and ashrams in countries outside of India also. The organisation is on LinkedIn as well and has headquarters in Bidadi Karnataka.
"A powerful spiritual healer, Nithyananda has healed thousands of people of diseases ranging from depression to cancer, often with a single touch.Nithyananda also runs several ashrams in India," the LinkedIn profile says about Nithyananda.
While his video challenging the scientific equation E=mc² is popular, his YouTube channel has several other videos. In fact, he has 340000 YouTube subscribers.
"Paramhamsa Nithyananda debunks theory of major scientists by reflecting into the capability of the brain and very clearly defines how a non vegetarian diet consuming person's brain is different from that of a vegetarian person's brain and how it leads to the non-grasping ability of non-vegetarian person," the caption on the popular video with 65000 views.
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A video on his channel uploaded two days ago is about debunking myths and rediscovering feminism in Hinduism and "importance of chastity". Nithyananda has a verified Twitter handle, though it is subscribed to Twitter Blue, with the name 'Kailasa's SPH Nithyananda'. SPH stands for 'Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism'. The location in the bio says 'Los Angeles'.
Beyond his presence on social media, the self-styled fugitive godman is accused of several crimes in India. In 2010, he was booked on charges of raping a disciple for five years while she stayed at his ashram from 2004 to 2009. He faced trials under several sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to rape, unnatural sex, cheating and criminal abetment.
He also landed in trouble when a 24-year-old woman died at his ashram just weeks after she was accused of stealing pen drives. While local doctors said she died of heart attack, her family alleged she was tortured as she had bruises on her body.
Nithyananda also faces charged of illegal confinement after at least three children were found at a flat in Ahmadabad who were allegedly used as "child labourers" to collect donations for the ashram.
When Nithyananda fled India in 2019, there were reports that said he had taken refuge in Ecuador. However, the country denied the claims.
What is Kailasa?
Kailasa was established by the "displaced Hindus from around the world", according to the website. "Kailasa is the Revival of Ancient Enlightened Hindu Civilisation Nation which is being revived by dispaced Hindus from around the world," the website says.
It says that the country provides "safe haven" to all practicing, aspiring or persecuted Hindus of the world.
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"Kailasa was created with the determination to not just preserve and protect the Sanantana Hindu Dharma and share it with the entire world, but also to share the story of persecution that is yet unknown to the world," it says. The Kailasa representative at UN meeting in Geneva also mentioned the "persecution" of their leader, Nithyananda.
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The website claims that Kailasa has a population of 100 million Adi Shaivites and 2 billion practicing Hindus. English, Hindi and Sanskrit are the languages spoken there, while Sanatana Hindu Dharma is the religion of the "nation". They have a triangular flag called the Rishabha Dhvaja and has the emblem of "Paramshiva and Nandi". The website defines Kailasa as an "apolitical" nation. "As a nation Kailasa is peaceful, sovereign, service-oriented and represents and ideology, rather than a territory". Nithyananda is believed to be living on an island near Ecuador, located in the west coast of South America, according to The Print.
Interestingly, Kailasa cannot be located on Google Maps, while Nithyananda's Twitter handle shows his location as Los Angeles.
