A Hindu religious sect attempted to establish a presence in Ecuador, Paraguay, and Bolivia by deceiving authorities and Indigenous leaders. The self-declared nation, known as the United States of Kailasa, operates globally and allegedly offered substantial sums of money to Indigenous leaders in exchange for land, either for exploitation or conservation under carbon credit initiatives, according to legal experts.
One of the contracts involved a 1,000-year lease, with the option for perpetual renewal, granting the self-proclaimed nation the right to exploit the natural resources within the leased area. In response, authorities have launched an investigation into land trafficking and organized crime concerning those involved in the perpetual leasing agreements for Bolivian land on behalf of the United States of Kailasa.
The United States of Kailasa asserts that it is a legitimate nation. Over the past three years, they have traveled to various countries in South America in search of suitable land for settlement. Their efforts have taken them to Paraguay and Ecuador, and they have recently arrived in Bolivia. In Bolivia, 20 representatives from Kailasa have been accused of attempting to defraud Indigenous leaders by negotiating a “perpetual lease” for their lands.
Their goal was to acquire large territories within three Indigenous communities in the Bolivian Amazon: the Baure, the Cayubaba, and the Esse Ejja. Additionally, their plans included establishing a protected area, as noted by the mayor of San Rafael, a town in eastern Bolivia. By the time this article was initially published in March, migration officials had already expelled the Kailasa representatives from Bolivia.
The story begins in September 2024, when several members of the self-proclaimed nation of the United States of Kailasa arrived in Bolivia. Three emissaries, who entered the country as tourists and held Irish citizenship, as confirmed by the Bolivian migration office, aimed to connect with Indigenous leaders. They settled in the town of Exaltación, located in the Beni department, and began reaching out to leaders from the Amazon to propose a “bilateral cooperation.”
Representatives from the Baure, Cayubaba, and Esse Ejja peoples expressed that they had been misled. Shortly after, 17 more individuals arrived, most of whom were Indian or Chinese citizens, according to the migration office.
In Bolivia, the newspaper El Deber obtained documents revealing that in September 2024, Pedro Guasico Durán, a representative of the Baure people, signed an agreement to grant a “perpetual lease” of 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres) of land for $108,000.
The agreement lists four individuals: Brenda Jung, the "Kailasa ambassador," along with delegates Nilesh Patel, Nithya Paramashivapriya, and Trang Hyuen Tran. The contract specifies that the lease spans a thousand years and will automatically renew indefinitely. It also grants Kailasa the right to utilize the natural resources within the leased area.
In the same month, the Cayubaba people reported the signing of a "bilateral treaty" between Roddy Alberto Chávez Atoyay, who represents the Cayubaba Indigenous community, and Kailasa. This treaty provides a "perpetual and irrevocable concession" of 31,000 hectares (76,000 acres) of land to the United States of Kailasa for the purpose of "conserving endemic biodiversity," in return for an annual payment of $55,800.
Additionally, the name Lewis Jeffrey Smith is included as one of the delegates representing this self-proclaimed nation.
The Baure people signed a consent letter with members of Kailasa, agreeing to a "perpetual leasing" arrangement for $60,000 annually. Image courtesy of El Deber.
Mongabay Latam interviewed Justo Molina, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of the Bolivian East (CIDOB), who revealed that these representatives had already rented 20 houses in the Cayubaba territory.
“This so-called nation sought out all the Indigenous peoples of the lowlands, even reaching out to Indigenous leaders from the high plateau, including myself. They claimed they wanted to establish agreements benefiting Indigenous peoples, but I discovered it was a fictitious country that had previously attempted similar scams in Paraguay and Ecuador. Now, the leaders who signed these contracts are reluctant to go public; they are keeping a low profile,” Molina told Mongabay Latam.
The Cayubaba are an ethnic community in Bolivia, residing in the town of Exaltación in the Beni department. The community cultivates various crops, including plantain, cassava, rice, corn, pumpkin, and sweet potato, and they also engage in small-scale cattle ranching.
In November 2024, a third contract was established with the Esse Ejja community from the Multiethnic Indigenous Territory (TIM II), which spans over 390,000 hectares (963,000 acres) across the departments of Pando and Beni. This agreement includes an annual payment of $28,107. The document was signed by Sanjinez Mamio Callaú, a community leader, along with other leaders as witnesses. From Kailasa, “ambassador” Brenda Jung and delegates Lin Wang, Qiaohui Cui, and Sophia Lorena Smith also signed the agreement.
A fugitive in India?
The United States of Kailasa is not recognized as a nation by the United Nations. Nonetheless, the self-proclaimed Hindu guru Nithyananda Paramashivam announced that he established the United States of Kailasa in 2019, claiming it is located on an island he purchased from Ecuador. However, that same year, Ecuadorian authorities denied that he was on their territory or that they had offered him refuge.
Paramashivam is also a fugitive evading Indian law enforcement. According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, he faces prosecution for charges of rape and sexual assault. A disciple accused him of rape in 2010, leading to a brief arrest by Indian police before he was released on bail. In 2018, he faced accusations in court.
Days before he left India, a report surfaced alleging the kidnapping of children at his monastery in Gujarat. Nithyananda's current whereabouts are unknown, but he has been seen in images on Kailasa's social media, where he is giving lectures.
Meanwhile, Kailasa claims on its website to have a flag, a constitution, a central bank, a passport, and an emblem. They also assert a population of "two billion practicing Hindus." This self-proclaimed nation even participated in two sessions of a U.N. committee in Geneva, Switzerland, a situation described as "embarrassing" by member countries. In Ecuador, Kailasa attempted to establish agreements with the government, and in Paraguay, the head of the cabinet for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock signed a cooperation document with Kailasa, after which he was dismissed from his position.
In Bolivia, the flags of Kailasa were seen flying from homes in the town of Exaltación, where they had taken up residence. The town's mayor, Gonzalo Hurtado, informed Mongabay Latam that he has filed a report against three Kailasa members living there. He claimed that the Irish citizens "intervened" in the land of the Cayubaba Native Community and that he is now facing threats for bringing this to light.
"Everything I did was to protect the land of the Cayubaba people. We were aware that these Kailasa individuals were in town, but we were uncertain of their intentions. They arrived in September of last year, claiming to practice yoga and to be environmental advocates. In truth, they were making deals with corrupt leaders, trading land for money. Now they are contacting me and threatening me from outside," Hurtado stated.
Geraldo Balderas, the prosecutor for Beni’s department, informed Mongabay Latam about the initiation of an investigation into land trafficking and organized crime concerning individuals involved in contracts for the perpetual leasing of Bolivian land to the fictitious state of Kailasa.
One clause in these agreements stipulates that representatives of Kailasa must validate their own passports in the areas where they seek to lease land, although Bolivian passports are also accepted. Additionally, locals are required to recognize Kailasa’s currency as legitimate.
The agreements declare that the lease is irrevocable and encompasses all rights to the airspace and resources above or below the land, with automatic renewal every 1,000 years.
Mongabay Latam managed to interview only one of the leaders who signed the agreement, Pedro Guasico from the Baure people. He expressed that they felt "tricked" by the Kailasa members and are now seeking to dissolve the agreement.
Miguel Vargas, the director of the nonprofit Center for Legal Studies and Social Research (CEJIS), stated that Kailasa's emergence is a tactic to obtain carbon credits, which would secure international funding for preserving natural sites. He described the people of Kailasa as “pirates of the carbon,” claiming their primary goal is to acquire resources in exchange for forest conservation, often at the expense of Indigenous communities.
Vargas noted that Bolivia's recent entry into the carbon market has set the stage for unexpected agreements between representatives of the self-proclaimed state of Kailasa and Indigenous leaders from the lowlands. He explained that the agreements proposed by Kailasa to Indigenous territories aim to establish areas for environmental and forest conservation, protecting them from deforestation and extractive activities.
Jorge Vargas, the mayor of San Rafael in Santa Cruz, reported that members of Kailasa reached out to him in September 2024, seeking to enter the San Rafael protected area for business in the carbon market. “A woman was persistently calling me. After researching this so-called state, I realized it was a scam. They aimed to access the [San Rafael] protected area to trade carbon credits,” he stated.
In Bolivia, a ruling from the Plurinational Constitutional Court permits the trading of carbon credits, which contradicts Law No. 300, the Framework Law of Mother Earth. However, the court's ruling takes precedence over Bolivian law.
Government Statements
The Bolivian government has addressed the situation. Initially, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it does not recognize the so-called "United States of Kailasa" as a legitimate nation and therefore has no diplomatic ties with it. Subsequently, Katherine Calderón, the director of the National Directorate of Migration, informed Mongabay Latam that on March 24, 2025, 20 individuals associated with Kailasa were expelled from Bolivia. This group included 10 individuals of Chinese descent, two of Indian descent, and others from various nationalities.
"We have enforced the mandatory departure of these individuals, and they are no longer in our country. This sect has entered our nation and attempted to exploit the goodwill of our Indigenous population. The Migration Directorate has intervened in this matter at various locations across the country," she stated.
Calderón reported that members of Kailasa entered various locations for tourism at different times. They attempted to approach the Cayubaba community with the intention of settling on their land and exploiting its resources. In the first operation, three individuals of Irish descent were discovered on Cayubaba territory and were subsequently transported from Exaltación to Trinidad city in Beni, and then to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where they were informed of their expulsion from Bolivia.
In a second operation in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, authorities found another 17 individuals from China, India, Sweden, the United States, England, Germany, and Portugal in a house in the city center. This group, which had arrived in November 2024, was also expelled.
Yamil Flores, the Minister of Rural Development and Lands, stated that articles 394 and 396 of the Bolivian Constitution prohibit foreigners from acquiring state lands through any means. He emphasized that the state recognizes, protects, and guarantees community or collective ownership, which encompasses campesino (farmer) communities, original intercultural communities, and the territories of Indigenous campesino people.
Flores noted, “While we do not have a formal complaint, the Ministry of Government Affairs, the prosecutor's office, and the National Institute of Agrarian Reform have already initiated actions to ensure that this crime is addressed.”
Meanwhile, members of the United States of Kailasa are actively voicing their concerns on social media. The Facebook account for the “Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism, Bhagavan Sri Nityananda Paramasivam,” features lengthy live videos discussing the “terrible conditions” they are experiencing in Bolivia.
Supporters of the Kailasa nation view the events in Bolivia as a form of Hinduphobia, or anti-Hindu sentiment, characterizing it as a "racist attack" on their monks. They hold the Bolivian government and media responsible for instigating this assault.
