The abandoned Mahesh Yogi ashram where the Fab Four stayed has become a tourist attraction and Rishikesh the yoga capital of the world.
When you think of Rishikesh, what comes to mind is a line of ashrams and temples on the bank of River Ganga, the iconic Laxman Jhula (now closed), and its alternative Ram Jhula suspension bridge, Ganga India’s most sacred river flowing past quietly, and the evening aarti on its bank.
And the Beatles!
Yes, the iconic British rock band put this small, sleepy town on the world map when they stayed with TM guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi here in 1968.
Welcome to the yoga capital of the world, which is in the foothills of the lower Himalayas in the Uttarakhand state of India.
A visit to Rishikesh had been on my bucket list for a long time. I had visited the region on journalistic assignments but never went past Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand. But in March this year, traveling from Toronto, I tweaked my Indian itinerary to pay a visit, and write about the place.
Taking a Volvo bus from Delhi, I reached Dehradun in the evening to spend the night with a friend. Reaching Rishikesh the following day, I was mesmerized by the serenity of the flowing Ganga, the beauty of forested hills on its banks, and its suspension bridges.
I walked on the mildly swaying Ram Jhula to the eastern bank of Ganga where all the ashrams, yoga centers, and temples are. Adventure seekers were having fun rafting in the river’s unpolluted water as it wends down to Haridwar, a Hindu pilgrimage town.
Having had my fill of scenic shots from the bridge, I merged into the crowds. Most were locals, but many were from other parts of India and foreign countries.
I was in the spiritual part of Rishikesh, which means abode of sages. It is traffic-free, alcohol-free, and meat-free.
Temples and ashrams were built ages ago on a stretch of the riverbank. Yoga centers have come up in the past few decades. The chants of mantras and the ringing of temple bells fill the air all day.
As I walked the crowded street, I saw a signboard outside a building on my right proclaiming ‘Union of East and West’. Indeed, inside, some foreigners were taking meditation classes from an Indian teacher, the backdrop dominated by a massive idol of Lord Shiva as if emerging out of the flowing river.
A few steps ahead on my left stood Parmarth Niketan, now world famous for its annual International Yoga Week every March. The yoga week was in full swing, and I could see scores of foreigners hurrying in with yoga mats. A magnet for pilgrims and spiritual seekers, Parmarth Niketan houses many displays of Hindu heritage and wisdom. Today, many know it because Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, the American-born author of ‘Hollywood to the Himalayas’, has become its face.
From Parmarth Niketan, I hurried to the other end of the long and dusty stretch to visit what is comparatively a new attraction. The Beatles’ name pops up here and there: a jewelry shop named Beatles Choice and an Airbnb called Beatles Cottage. There is even Beatles Street and something akin to a Beatles Walk of Fame!
When I walked up the hill to the now abandoned Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ashram – a cluster of domed meditation caves came into view. Since the rock band came here to be with Mahesh Yogi, the place is now better known as the Beatles’ Ashram.
A notice board at the entrance says: “Maharishi Mahesh Yogi established this Ashram in 1961 on 7.5 hectares of forest land. Many famous people, including the Beatles, came here to practice Transcendental Meditation.”
A little ahead, another signboard points to the location and number of the ‘bungalows’ of the Beatles and their guru.
It felt surreal to walk into these abandoned structures and wonder how the four world-famous Beatles stayed for a few weeks there right in the middle of their most productive period when they composed most of the songs for their double album, the ‘White Album.’
Streams of visitors and Beatles fans milled around, taking pictures and reminiscing about the place’s heyday.
As I walked the cobbled lanes overrun by dense foliage, I imagined how this ashram must have been 60 years ago. My friend Parveen Chopra, editor of ALotusInTheMud.com, told me he did an advanced TM course there in 1977 in the presence of Mahesh Yogi. It was a very serene place then.
The main hall, where Mahesh Yogi addressed gatherings, is in ruins. It is now called Beatles Hall because of the wall paintings of The Fab Four.
I also came across ruins of a printing press with a signboard saying that it was built in the early 1960s. Mahesh Yogi’s books, ‘The Science of Being and the Art of Living’ and commentary on the first six chapters of the Bhagavad Gita were printed here.
Looking down the slopes of this ruined place, once hallowed by the presence of a renowned yogi and his more famous followers, I felt a twinge of sadness. Cruel Time spares no one!
