Global Country of World Peace
Encyclopedia
The Global Country of World Peace (GCWP) was declared by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
, the founder and guru of the Transcendental Meditation movement
, on Vijayadashami
(Victory Day), October 7, 2000. He described it as "a country without borders for peace loving people everywhere". GCWP is structured as a kingdom, with Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam
its current Maharaja or Sovereign Ruler.
It incorporated in the state of Iowa
, USA on October 15, 2002 as a non-profit organization with Bevan Morris
as its president. The corporation has its headquarters in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
. It has, or is building, capitals in the Netherlands, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia, Manhattan, and India.
The GCWP has made various unsuccessful attempts at attaining sovereignty as a microstate
during the years 2000 to 2002, offering sums in excess of $1 billion to small and impoverished countries in exchange for the sovereignty over part of their territory. It has a global reconstruction program which seeks to rebuild all of the cities and buildings in the world following Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
principles.
and TM-Sidhi programs, that also maintain cultural diversity. The GCWP's intention is to have a parental and nourishing role in the family of nations. According to a report from Bloomberg
, the GCWP's tax filings relate its mission as the creation of world peace 'by unifying all nations in happiness prosperity, invincibility, and perfect health'.
The GCWP website included an application for citizenship in 2006. Citizenship was open to all peace-loving people who agreed with the country's goals. New citizens would have dual citizenship with Maharishi Vedic America, and they would get a flag and a passport. The ladies' wing of the GCWP is called the "Global Mother Divine Organization".
was appointed by the Maharishi as the "First Sovereign Ruler of the Global Country of World Peace". After his coronation in 2000 he was called "Raja Nader Raam", and after the death of the Maharishi in 2008, he became known as "Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam".
Special raja
Purusha rajas
". The GCWP's plan is to use the Raam as a "catalyst currency" to facilitate the implementation of agriculture and developmental projects throughout the world, to assist in the elimination of international poverty. The currency has been used in Iowa and has been also given approval in The Netherlands where more than 100 Dutch shops, department store chains, in 30 villages and cities are using the notes at a fixed rate of 10 euros per raam.
presides over a national assembly of USPG state representatives or governors, who in turn preside over US Peace Government assemblies and capital buildings in their respective states. The office of the President of the U.S. Peace Government is at The Jefferson hotel, Washington D.C.
, property owned by the Maharishi Foundation near Vlodrop
which was the residence of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is the site where he proclaimed the creation of the Global Country of World Peace and crowned the Maharaja. It is also houses the campuses of the Maharishi European Research University (MERU) and a Maharishi Vedic University.
The city's plan and building code follow Maharishi Sthapatya Veda principles. Architecture professor Keller Easterling
says that Maharishi Vedic City reflects the GCWP's interest in achieving a "benign form of global sovereignty". Utilizing donations from supporters, the GCWP has built a 210000 square feet (19,509.6 m²) campus there to house 1,050 Vedic pandits from India.
From 2004 to 2010 the GCWP owned the building located at 70 Broad Street
which it called The Financial Capital of the GCWP. It was intended to be an administrative center for a project to raise funds for hospitals, organic farms, and clinics in developing countries, but over time, its primary use was as a Transcendental Meditation center. When the building became a financial burden it was sold in 2010 and the organization's $5.5 million profit were earmarked for a new Manhattan teaching center and other programs. The building is a New York City landmark built in 1908 by architects Kirby, Petit & Green as the headquarters of the American Bank Note Company
. It is a neo-Classical five-story structure with 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) of office space and some luxury apartments on the upper floors. The building was given historical landmark status in 1997. According to realtor Brown Harris Stevens, the building is a residential, office, retail or mixed-use building.
in Washington Township, Smith County
, near the geographic center of America
. The purchase of the first large parcel was negotiated without revealing the buyer until the final contract was prepared. A groundbreaking ceremony was held March 28, 2006. Over 1000 acres (4 km²) were eventually purchased. Plans called for the construction of 12 to 15 buildings, including Peace Palaces and a broadcast center, at an estimated cost of up to $15 million. The plans divided the community. Nine pastors wrote to the local newspaper with concerns about the souls of area residents while the Chamber of Commerce looked forward to the creation of new jobs. The county planning commission placed a moratorium on any changes in land use in an effort to prevent the use of agricultural land for the capital, but they withdrew it after the movement threatened to sue in federal court. In April 2009, a spokesman announced that two Peace Palaces were nearing completion. Maharishi Central University is projected to be part of the capital project.
to make the "Maharishi Purusha Capital of the Western World". Their plan for the 175 acre (0.7082005 km²), purchased at a cost of $750,000, is to construct a private, $10 to 15 million "environmentally friendly retreat" that will include 150 to 200 rooms for professional meditators, according to the project director, Raja Bob LoPinto. The property will be designated a Global Capital and will include a palace for the Maharaja and residences for the Raja of Invincible America and the Prime Minister.
Also known as the "Transcendental Meditation Learning Center and Retreat," the men’s-only facility will be used for weekend retreats as well as residences for those who want to spend years living a simple life involving meditation.
Peace Palaces have been completed in the U.S. cities of Bethesda, Maryland
, Houston
and Austin, Texas
, Fairfield, Iowa
, St. Paul, Minnesota and Lexington, Kentucky
. Three of the existing Peace Palaces were built by private individuals. Land has been purchased in 52 location around the US and others are being built around the world.
According to officials of the organization, zoning and related issues have slowed their progess in building in at least 18 other cities where land has been purchased. In 2007 the "Maharishi’s organization" took legal action against the city of Mayfield Heights, Ohio, because the city refused a set back variance for a proposed Peace Palace. Although "admired for its finances" some critics call the project a way for the "Maharishi's followers" to create funds for more land for the group's treasury.
Also in 2005, Global Country World Peace purchased the 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) Prairie Peace Park in Pleasant Dale, Nebraska. GCWP had planned to build a 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) "peace palace" on the site. An article in August 2010 in the Journal Star reports that the property is for sale for $95,000.
In 2006, the Global Country purchased Inishraher, a 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) island in Clew Bay
off the coast, Mayo
, Ireland with the intention of founding an International Peace Centre, and of designating it as a Maharishi Capital of the Global Country of World Peace. Planning permission for two 18-room hostels on the island was approved on 22 July 2009.
principles. The project is estimated by the Global Country of World Peace (GCWP) Finance Minister to cost $300 trillion. The Director of the Global Country of World Peace's Financial Capital, Paul Potter, said "we hope to be able to rebuild the whole world to be fortune-oriented buildings, to be heaven on earth".
The Maharishi and the Global Country of World Peace have approached small, impoverished nations about purchasing or leasing land to create a sovereign nation. In 2001, it was reported that the Transcendental Meditation Movement had been trying unsuccessfully for years to make such arrangements in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Starting in November 2000, the GCWP began making overtures to the President of Suriname
regarding the lease of 3500 acres (14.2 km²) of rural land to create a sovereign nation. It offered $1.3 billion over three years for a 200-year lease, plus 1 percent of the country's money annually, and the creation of 10,000 jobs.
The UNHCR reported that, in July 2001, the island nation of Tuvalu
rejected, after serious consideration, a proposal from the movement to create a "Vaticanlike sovereign city-state" near the international airport in exchange for a payment of $2 million a year.
In 2002, the TM organization made an offer to the tiny Pacific island of Rota
. The 33 square miles (85.5 km²) island, 47 miles (75.6 km) north of Guam
, is part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
, a protectorate
of the United States. The people of Rota were offered the construction of great gardens, a peace university, and as much as a billion dollars worth of investments, if they agreed to grant Raja Nader Raam sovereignty over a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) portion of the island, which would have required Rota to secede from the Commonwealth. Preferring to stay in the U.S.-affiliated Commonwealth, the islanders turned down the offer.
An attempt in Costa Rica
resulted in the expulsion of Emmanuel Schiffgens and other officials of the GCWP offered $250 a month to each family in the Talamanca reservation, 140 miles (230 km) south of the capital, San José, for the right to appoint a king. On June 23, 2002, a ceremony was held on the Talamanca reservation to appoint a TM-chosen Indian as the reservation's first king. The community balked and asked the Costa Rican government to step in. The government ordered the TM representatives to leave the country. "It was obvious that they were promoting an independent state within Costa Rica, and we can't tolerate that", said Costa Rica's security minister Rogelio Ramos.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
, the founder and guru of the Transcendental Meditation movement
Transcendental Meditation movement
The Transcendental Meditation movement is a world-wide organization, sometimes characterised as a neo-Hindu new religious movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s...
, on Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh...
(Victory Day), October 7, 2000. He described it as "a country without borders for peace loving people everywhere". GCWP is structured as a kingdom, with Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam
Tony Nader
Tony Abu Nader is a Lebanese neuro-physiologist, the president of both Maharishi University of Management in Holland and Maharishi Open University, and was designated the 'First Sovereign Ruler' of the 'Global Country of World Peace'. After receiving his medical degree in internal medicine and...
its current Maharaja or Sovereign Ruler.
It incorporated in the state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, USA on October 15, 2002 as a non-profit organization with Bevan Morris
Bevan Morris
Bevan G. Morris is the president of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, President of the Global Country of World Peace, President of Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation, Prime Minister of the United States Peace Government, President of the Maharishi World Peace...
as its president. The corporation has its headquarters in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. It has, or is building, capitals in the Netherlands, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia, Manhattan, and India.
The GCWP has made various unsuccessful attempts at attaining sovereignty as a microstate
Microstate
A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area, but usually both. Some examples include Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Nauru, Singapore, and Vatican City....
during the years 2000 to 2002, offering sums in excess of $1 billion to small and impoverished countries in exchange for the sovereignty over part of their territory. It has a global reconstruction program which seeks to rebuild all of the cities and buildings in the world following Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is a set of architectural and planning principles assembled by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi based on "ancient Sanskrit texts" Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture is also called "Maharishi Vastu" architecture, "Fortune-Creating" buildings and homes, and "Maharishi Vedic...
principles.
Mission
The GCWP states as its mission to support existing governments and assist them in creating problem-free administration for their nation through the application of Natural Law. The GCWP aspires to provide peace-creating technologies, such as the Transcendental Meditation techniqueTranscendental Meditation technique
The Transcendental Meditation technique is a specific form of mantra meditation often referred to as Transcendental Meditation. It was introduced in India in 1955 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi...
and TM-Sidhi programs, that also maintain cultural diversity. The GCWP's intention is to have a parental and nourishing role in the family of nations. According to a report from Bloomberg
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
, the GCWP's tax filings relate its mission as the creation of world peace 'by unifying all nations in happiness prosperity, invincibility, and perfect health'.
The GCWP website included an application for citizenship in 2006. Citizenship was open to all peace-loving people who agreed with the country's goals. New citizens would have dual citizenship with Maharishi Vedic America, and they would get a flag and a passport. The ladies' wing of the GCWP is called the "Global Mother Divine Organization".
Administration
Ceremonial attire for the Maharaja and the rajas includes white silk robes, gold medallions, and gold crowns. The Maharaja's crown is larger than the others.Maharaja
Tony NaderTony Nader
Tony Abu Nader is a Lebanese neuro-physiologist, the president of both Maharishi University of Management in Holland and Maharishi Open University, and was designated the 'First Sovereign Ruler' of the 'Global Country of World Peace'. After receiving his medical degree in internal medicine and...
was appointed by the Maharishi as the "First Sovereign Ruler of the Global Country of World Peace". After his coronation in 2000 he was called "Raja Nader Raam", and after the death of the Maharishi in 2008, he became known as "Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam".
Rajas and ministers
Rajas are the administrators or nation heads of the GCWP. In 2008, it was reported that 32 or 35 rajas attended the funeral of the Maharishi. The raja training course costs $1 million. A complete listing of Rajas and their domains, and of GCWP ministers appeared in the January 2010 issue of E-Gyan, a movement newsletter.| Rajas | Domains |
| Antonio Bartolome | Andorra, Angola, Cape Verde Islands, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Spain |
| Bjarne S. Landsfeldt | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Malta, Russia, Slovakia, Turkmenistan |
| Bob LoPinto | Gambia, Lesotho, Oman, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Vietnam |
| Bruce Plaut | Ethiopia, Nigeria, Samoa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Sweden, Tanzania |
| Dean Dodrill | Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Guinea, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Sudan |
| Emanuel Schiffgens | Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Germany, Iran, Monaco, Nauru, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine |
| Felix Kägi | Albania, Djibouti, Liechtenstein, Malawi, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland |
| Graham de Freitas | Minneapolis, Benin, Botswana, Grenada, Mali, Norway, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda |
| Harris Kaplan | India |
| Ior Guglielmi | Bahrain, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Niger, Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Sri Lanka |
| John Hagelin John Hagelin John Samuel Hagelin is an American particle physicist, three-time candidate of the Natural Law Party for President of the United States , and the director of the Transcendental Meditation movement for the US.... |
USA |
| John Konhaus | California, Chad, Egypt, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia, Uzbekistan |
| Jose Luis Alvarez | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela |
| Kingsley Brooks | New England, Afghanistan, Georgia, Israel, Democratic Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nepal |
| Lucien Mansour | Belgium, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Gabon, Haiti, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Syria |
| Mariano Facipieri | Eritrea, Ghana, Italy, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, Yemen |
| Michael Dillbeck | Chicago, Algeria, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Fiji, France, Latvia, Mauritius, Tonga |
| Pat Barrett | Comoros, Finland, Malaysia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Zimbabwe |
| Paul Potter | New York, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Canada, Cyprus, Kiribati, Montenegro, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Turkey |
| Peter Warburton | Bahamas, Bulgaria, East Timor, Jordan, Palau, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Zambia |
| Robert Wynne | Armenia, Burundi, Iraq, Kenya, Liberia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Vanuatu |
| Rogers Badgett | Atlanta, Australia, Barbados, Estonia, Mauritania, Morocco, Solomon Islands, St Vincent and Grenadines, Tuvalu |
| Steven Rubin | China |
| Tom Stanley | Denver, Belize, Bhutan, Iceland, Ireland, Libya, Mongolia, Tajikistan |
| Vikram Aditya | Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand |
| Willem Meijles | Antigua and Barbuda, Indonesia, Lithuania, Namibia, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar |
Special raja
- John Fagan – Food Purity
Purusha rajas
- Avinoam Barkol
- Howard Chancellor
- James Egan
- John Bright
- Rafael David
- Richard Ross
Ministers
Twelve ministers of the GCWP are reported to have attended the 2008 funeral of the Maharishi.- Bevan MorrisBevan MorrisBevan G. Morris is the president of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, President of the Global Country of World Peace, President of Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation, Prime Minister of the United States Peace Government, President of the Maharishi World Peace...
, Prime Minister - Benjamin Feldman, Minister of Finance and Planning
- Chris Crowell, Minister of Religion and Culture. Crowell is the International Director of the World Federation of Traditional Kings.
- Eike Hartmann, Minister of Architecture. Hartmann is the chair of the department of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda at Maharishi Vedic University in Vlodrop, Holland.
- Gary Kaplan, Minister of Health Clinics
- Brahmachari Girish Ji (Dr. Girish Chandra Varma), Minister of Education, National Director of India. Varma is chairman of the Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools GroupMaharishi Vidya Mandir SchoolsMaharishi Vidya Mandir Schools is an educational school system founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and established in 16 Indian states. MVMS is managed by a registered educational society called the "Maharishi Shiksha Sansthan". MVMS is also affiliated with the New Delhi Central Board of Secondary...
, chancellor of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic UniversityMaharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic UniversityMaharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic University, also known as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Vishwavidyalaya , is an accredited, public university located in Katni, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is part of the Maharishi Educational System and was established by the state legislature in 1995...
and chancellor of Maharishi University of Management and TechnologyMaharishi University of Management and TechnologyMaharishi University of Management and Technology is a private university with its main campus in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India. The University is accredited by the University Grants Commission and was established by a special Act of the State Legislature of Chhattisgarh...
in India. - John HagelinJohn HagelinJohn Samuel Hagelin is an American particle physicist, three-time candidate of the Natural Law Party for President of the United States , and the director of the Transcendental Meditation movement for the US....
, Minister of Science and Technology - Kulwant Singh, Minister of Defence
- Larry Chroman, Minister of Trade and Commerce
- Peter Swan, Minister of Communication
- Rainer Picha, Minister of Health
- Robert Roth, US National Director of Expansion
- Roget Audet, Surveyor General
- Volker Schanbacher, Minister of Invincibility and World Peace
Raam currency
The Global Country of World Peace has issued its own currency called the "RaamRAAM
RAAM, or Raam is a bearer bond and local currency issued by Stichting Maharishi Global Financing Research , a charitable foundation based in MERU, Holland. It is also the "global development currency" of the Global Country of World Peace...
". The GCWP's plan is to use the Raam as a "catalyst currency" to facilitate the implementation of agriculture and developmental projects throughout the world, to assist in the elimination of international poverty. The currency has been used in Iowa and has been also given approval in The Netherlands where more than 100 Dutch shops, department store chains, in 30 villages and cities are using the notes at a fixed rate of 10 euros per raam.
US Peace Government
Hagelin established the U.S. Peace Government (USPG) on July 4, 2003, as an affiliate of the Global Country of World Peace. The US Peace Government and the Global Country of World Peace were created to promote evidence-based and sustainable solutions as well as policies of governance that are aligned with Natural Law. As president of the USPG, HagelinJohn Hagelin
John Samuel Hagelin is an American particle physicist, three-time candidate of the Natural Law Party for President of the United States , and the director of the Transcendental Meditation movement for the US....
presides over a national assembly of USPG state representatives or governors, who in turn preside over US Peace Government assemblies and capital buildings in their respective states. The office of the President of the U.S. Peace Government is at The Jefferson hotel, Washington D.C.
Global Capital for World Peace
The Global Capital for World Peace is based at MERU, HollandMERU, Holland
MERU, Holland, is a residential and office complex which includes the residence of the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a capital of the Global Country of World Peace, a campus of Maharishi European Research University , and other institutions of the Transcendental Meditation movement. It occupies the...
, property owned by the Maharishi Foundation near Vlodrop
Vlodrop
Vlodrop is a town in the south-eastern part of The Netherlands in the municipality of Roerdalen. The town is situated near the German border, about 8 km southeast of Roermond....
which was the residence of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is the site where he proclaimed the creation of the Global Country of World Peace and crowned the Maharaja. It is also houses the campuses of the Maharishi European Research University (MERU) and a Maharishi Vedic University.
Capitals of the Global Country for World Peace
Maharishi Vedic City is the "Capital of the Global Country for World Peace", also called the "Maharishi City Capital of the Age of Enlightenment". "The Mansion" became the headquarters for the Global Country of World Peace in 2002.The city's plan and building code follow Maharishi Sthapatya Veda principles. Architecture professor Keller Easterling
Keller Easterling
Keller Easterling is an American architect, urbanist, writer, and teacher. She earned both her B.A. and M.Arch from Princeton University and has taught architectural design and history at Parsons The New School for Design, Pratt Institute, and Columbia University. She is currently Associate...
says that Maharishi Vedic City reflects the GCWP's interest in achieving a "benign form of global sovereignty". Utilizing donations from supporters, the GCWP has built a 210000 square feet (19,509.6 m²) campus there to house 1,050 Vedic pandits from India.
From 2004 to 2010 the GCWP owned the building located at 70 Broad Street
American Bank Note Company Building
The American Bank Note Company Building is a historical granite structure located at 70 Broad Street, New York, New York .- History :...
which it called The Financial Capital of the GCWP. It was intended to be an administrative center for a project to raise funds for hospitals, organic farms, and clinics in developing countries, but over time, its primary use was as a Transcendental Meditation center. When the building became a financial burden it was sold in 2010 and the organization's $5.5 million profit were earmarked for a new Manhattan teaching center and other programs. The building is a New York City landmark built in 1908 by architects Kirby, Petit & Green as the headquarters of the American Bank Note Company
American Bank Note Company
The American Bank Note Company was a major worldwide engraver of national currency and postage stamps. Currently it engraves and prints stock and bond certificates.-History:Robert Scot, the first official engraver of the young U.S...
. It is a neo-Classical five-story structure with 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) of office space and some luxury apartments on the upper floors. The building was given historical landmark status in 1997. According to realtor Brown Harris Stevens, the building is a residential, office, retail or mixed-use building.
World Capital of Peace
The US Peace Government has announced plans to build a national capital near Smith Center, KansasSmith Center, Kansas
Smith Center is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,665.-Geography:Smith Center is located at...
in Washington Township, Smith County
Smith County, Kansas
Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 3,853 for the 2010 census. Its county seat is Smith Center. It is named in memory of Maj. J. Nelson Smith, who was part of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry, killed in action at the Battle of Westport on October 21,...
, near the geographic center of America
Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States
One of the locations claimed to be the Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States is pinpointed by a historical marker that is located within a small park near the town of Lebanon, Kansas. It is located at the intersection of AA Road and K-191, accessible by a turn-off from U.S...
. The purchase of the first large parcel was negotiated without revealing the buyer until the final contract was prepared. A groundbreaking ceremony was held March 28, 2006. Over 1000 acres (4 km²) were eventually purchased. Plans called for the construction of 12 to 15 buildings, including Peace Palaces and a broadcast center, at an estimated cost of up to $15 million. The plans divided the community. Nine pastors wrote to the local newspaper with concerns about the souls of area residents while the Chamber of Commerce looked forward to the creation of new jobs. The county planning commission placed a moratorium on any changes in land use in an effort to prevent the use of agricultural land for the capital, but they withdrew it after the movement threatened to sue in federal court. In April 2009, a spokesman announced that two Peace Palaces were nearing completion. Maharishi Central University is projected to be part of the capital project.
Administrative Capital
The "administrative Capital of World Peace", also called the "Maharishi World Capital of Peace", the "Global Capital of World Peace", and the "Capital of Global Raam Raj", is under construction in the Brahmasthan of India, according to Eike Hartmann.Purusha Capital
In 2009 the GCWP purchased two parcels in West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
to make the "Maharishi Purusha Capital of the Western World". Their plan for the 175 acre (0.7082005 km²), purchased at a cost of $750,000, is to construct a private, $10 to 15 million "environmentally friendly retreat" that will include 150 to 200 rooms for professional meditators, according to the project director, Raja Bob LoPinto. The property will be designated a Global Capital and will include a palace for the Maharaja and residences for the Raja of Invincible America and the Prime Minister.
Also known as the "Transcendental Meditation Learning Center and Retreat," the men’s-only facility will be used for weekend retreats as well as residences for those who want to spend years living a simple life involving meditation.
Peace Palaces
The Global Country of World Peace has undertaken the construction of Peace Palaces, with a goal of one Peace Palace in each of the 240 largest cities in the United States. The goal of each Peace Palace is to serve as a home of peace for each city. Some Peace Palaces built by GCWP are leased to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation for courses in the Transcendental Meditation technique and related programs such as Maharishi Spas, Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology and herbal food supplements. The buildings are planned to be two-story, white, buildings of about 10,000 to 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) and are intended to be replacements for rented spaces being used in "more than 200 locations" across the U.S.A. Their appearance has been described as an "Indian temple crossed with a Southern plantation mansion" and is intended to be a "visual brand" for the organization.Peace Palaces have been completed in the U.S. cities of Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Fairfield, Iowa
Fairfield, Iowa
Fairfield is a city and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,464 in the 2010 census, a decline from 9,509 in the 2000 census. - History :...
, St. Paul, Minnesota and Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Three of the existing Peace Palaces were built by private individuals. Land has been purchased in 52 location around the US and others are being built around the world.
According to officials of the organization, zoning and related issues have slowed their progess in building in at least 18 other cities where land has been purchased. In 2007 the "Maharishi’s organization" took legal action against the city of Mayfield Heights, Ohio, because the city refused a set back variance for a proposed Peace Palace. Although "admired for its finances" some critics call the project a way for the "Maharishi's followers" to create funds for more land for the group's treasury.
Other facilities
In 2005, the Global Country bought a 800-plus acres farm in Gosen, New York, USA for $4 million in cash, with plans to create an organic farm training site, as well as a Peace Palace. According to broker Steve Perfit, the 818 acres (3.3 km²) were put up for sale in April 2009.Also in 2005, Global Country World Peace purchased the 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) Prairie Peace Park in Pleasant Dale, Nebraska. GCWP had planned to build a 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) "peace palace" on the site. An article in August 2010 in the Journal Star reports that the property is for sale for $95,000.
In 2006, the Global Country purchased Inishraher, a 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) island in Clew Bay
Clew Bay
Clew Bay is a natural ocean bay in County Mayo, Ireland. It contains Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. According to tradition, there is an island in the bay for every day of the year. The bay is overlooked by Croagh Patrick, Ireland's holy mountain, and the mountains of North Mayo. Clare...
off the coast, Mayo
Mayo
- Places :Ireland* County Mayo* Mayo * Mayo * Mayo * Mayo East * Mayo North...
, Ireland with the intention of founding an International Peace Centre, and of designating it as a Maharishi Capital of the Global Country of World Peace. Planning permission for two 18-room hostels on the island was approved on 22 July 2009.
Global Reconstruction
The Maharishi's Global Reconstruction Program for Permanent World Peace entails replacing the existing cities and buildings of the world with plans and structures that follow Maharishi Sthapatya VedaMaharishi Sthapatya Veda
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is a set of architectural and planning principles assembled by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi based on "ancient Sanskrit texts" Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture is also called "Maharishi Vastu" architecture, "Fortune-Creating" buildings and homes, and "Maharishi Vedic...
principles. The project is estimated by the Global Country of World Peace (GCWP) Finance Minister to cost $300 trillion. The Director of the Global Country of World Peace's Financial Capital, Paul Potter, said "we hope to be able to rebuild the whole world to be fortune-oriented buildings, to be heaven on earth".
Efforts to obtain sovereignty
The Maharishi and the Global Country of World Peace have approached small, impoverished nations about purchasing or leasing land to create a sovereign nation. In 2001, it was reported that the Transcendental Meditation Movement had been trying unsuccessfully for years to make such arrangements in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Starting in November 2000, the GCWP began making overtures to the President of Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
regarding the lease of 3500 acres (14.2 km²) of rural land to create a sovereign nation. It offered $1.3 billion over three years for a 200-year lease, plus 1 percent of the country's money annually, and the creation of 10,000 jobs.
The UNHCR reported that, in July 2001, the island nation of Tuvalu
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
rejected, after serious consideration, a proposal from the movement to create a "Vaticanlike sovereign city-state" near the international airport in exchange for a payment of $2 million a year.
In 2002, the TM organization made an offer to the tiny Pacific island of Rota
Rota (island)
Rota also known as the "peaceful island", is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the second southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago. It lies approximately 40 miles north-northeast of the United States territory of Guam...
. The 33 square miles (85.5 km²) island, 47 miles (75.6 km) north of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, is part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
, a protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
of the United States. The people of Rota were offered the construction of great gardens, a peace university, and as much as a billion dollars worth of investments, if they agreed to grant Raja Nader Raam sovereignty over a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) portion of the island, which would have required Rota to secede from the Commonwealth. Preferring to stay in the U.S.-affiliated Commonwealth, the islanders turned down the offer.
An attempt in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
resulted in the expulsion of Emmanuel Schiffgens and other officials of the GCWP offered $250 a month to each family in the Talamanca reservation, 140 miles (230 km) south of the capital, San José, for the right to appoint a king. On June 23, 2002, a ceremony was held on the Talamanca reservation to appoint a TM-chosen Indian as the reservation's first king. The community balked and asked the Costa Rican government to step in. The government ordered the TM representatives to leave the country. "It was obvious that they were promoting an independent state within Costa Rica, and we can't tolerate that", said Costa Rica's security minister Rogelio Ramos.