A fugitive guru and self-appointed “godman” who is facing charges of abduction and rape in India has established his own island nation, reportedly off the coast of Ecuador.

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Nithyananda, who built up a huge spiritual following in India, is on the run from the Gujarat police over multiple allegations that he abducted and confined children to collect donations for his ashram and that he raped one of his disciples.

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While Nithyananda's whereabouts are unknown, on Wednesday he said that the was establishing the "sovereign nation of the Republic of Kailaasa.

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The “cosmic country” will reportedly be established on a private island off of the coast of Ecuador, purchased by some of his wealthy devotees. Applications are open for those who want to apply for citizenship and a passport, which allows for “free entry in all 11 dimensions and 14 lokas [the 14 worlds of Hinduism] including Kailaasa”.

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As the founder of the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam Trust, the guru has set up over a dozen temples and ashrams across India. But he has attracted much derision over claims of his spiritual abilities, including being able to delay the sunrise for 40 minutes, being able to see through walls, curing 82 children of blindness by “opening their third eye” and getting cows to speak in Sanskrit and Tamil. (How do you even do this?) In 2010 there was further controversy over the release of a sex tape featuring him and a female Tamil actor.

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A website dedicated to Kailaasa recently appeared, declaring that the country will offer universal healthcare, free food distribution, free education and “revival of a temple-based lifestyle”.