Beatles Ashram - Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Posted by: 
denben
N 30° 06.774 E 078° 18.736
44R E 241021 N 3334344
The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram in Rishikesh, which was once visited by the Beatles to learn transcendental meditation, is now also known as the Beatles Ashram.
Waymark Code: WMQ8EH
Location: India
Date Posted: 01/09/2016
Views: 8
"The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram is located in a beautiful spot within the Rajaji National Park with the river Ganga flowing quietly behind it. It got the world's attention when it briefly housed the band members of the legendary English rock band The Beatles in 1968. But with time everyone forgot that, and the ashram turned into a ruin after it was abandoned in 1997.
After being ignored for years, Uttarakhand's Forest Department has finally converted the ashram into an eco-friendly tourism destination. Nature walks, bird watching, and a visit to the ashram are on offer for an entry fee of Rs 150 for Indian nationals, and Rs 600 for foreigners.
Reports suggest that apart from nature walk and bird watching tours, which have already commenced, the place might soon have a cafeteria as well. Even though the ashram has been given a facelift, the artwork on the walls of the yoga hall have remained untouched, and continue to be the biggest draw for tourists. It was in 2012 that a bunch of travelling artists, including Canadian artist Pan Trinity Das, painted the walls with pop art and beautiful black-and-white portraits of The Beatles, alongside those of prominent spiritual leaders like the Dalai Lama. The forest officials have decided not to tamper with this, except for repainting some of the walls which have been overrun with graffiti.
The ashram acquires special significance when you consider that the pop group ended up being pretty prolific during their stay there. Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison of The Beatles visited it in February 1968 to learn transcendental meditation. While Starr left in 10 days, followed by McCartney in three weeks, John Lennon and George Harrison stayed on for eight weeks. This is the period when they are said to have written 48 songs, many of which made it to the band's famous White Album."
We were lucky to be able to visit the ashram. It reopened to visitors in 2015 just before we arrived in Rishikesh.
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