Every fan knows that The Beatles made it to India long back and stayed at the Ashram with their new Guru ji, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. They learned about mantras and meditated while they wrote about forty-eight songs out of which a few made it to their The White Album. The trip was planned to be three months long but as the days passed, Ringo Starr was the first one to call it quits and go home because the food was too spicy for him. John Lennon and George Harrison showed themselves out in six months and Paul McCartney stayed for a month.
The Ashram was run by Guru Maharishi Mahesh and was abandoned in 1970s by him and his followers. Even after that, the Beatles fan would sneak in by jumping the walls or paying a little bribe to the watchmen.
After being abandoned, the Ashram was reclaimed by the authorities, naturally. The retreat has been under local forestry department since 2003. Now, that the Ashram is open for the public, it’s going to cost 150 bucks for Indian tourists and 700 bucks for the foreign tourists. Senior forestry officer told BBC that, “We have cleaned up the place and lined the pathways with flowers. We are making some gardens and putting some benches for visitors” also added, “We are introducing a nature trail and bird walk. We also plan to set up a cafeteria and a souvenir shop at some point. We want to retain the place’s rustic look.”
So, Beatles fans, you won’t see the band live again, but you can always check out the place they’ve been. The place that actually got you some great tracks from The Beatles! Next time you plan a trip to Rishikesh, you know one place you’ve to visit.

 

 

 

 

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