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| The Beatles and their wives visited Rishikesh in India with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in March 1968. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images |
Ashram where Fab Four spent time in 1960s became derelict after band fell out with guru – now it has been reopened with walking trails and gardens
The north Indian retreat where the Beatles learned transcendental meditation before falling out of love with its controversial guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, has reopened to foreign visitors after decades of dereliction.
In 1968, the Fab Four wrote most of the White Album while staying at the ashramlocated in the Rajaji national park, besides the river Ganges. Since the Maharishi left in the 1970s it has been overtaken by forest, but on Tuesday, 35 years to the day since the assassination of John Lennon, it reopened with new walking trails and gardens.
“We want to conserve the place and retain its original charm,” DVS Khati, chief wildlife warden of the state of Uttarakhand, said: “We plan to have a yoga centre here as well soon. We hope the ashram in its new avatar will give a major boost to tourism in the region.”
The Beatles had one of their most concentrated spells of songwriting at the ashram and their visit overlapped with The Beach Boys. But their relationship with the Maharishi, remembered by Paul McCartney as “a giggly little guy”, soured.
Ringo Starr left after about 10 days, according to some accounts, complaining about the food. McCartney left a month later and John Lennon and George Harrison quit amid questions about whether the Maharishi might have groped female attendees, including Mia and Prudence Farrow.
Lennon later wrote a song about the Maharishi which ran: “Sexy Sadie what have you done/ You made a fool of everyone.” He also wrote one about Prudence Farrow - Dear Prudence, while McCartney wrote Back in the USSR during their time in Rishikesh.
“We have cleaned up the place and lined the pathways with flowers,” senior forestry official Rajendra Nautiyal told the BBC. “We are making some gardens and putting some benches for visitors. 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.”
Indian tourists are being charged 150 rupees (£1.50) entry while foreigners will pay 700 rupees.
For a period, Lennon at least was a convert to the Maharishi’s teachings. While in Rishikesh he wrote back to one British fan, a Mr Bulla, who had asked for money to fund a trip to the ashram: “All you need is initiative or if you don’t have this, I suggest you try transcendental meditation through which all things are possible. With love, John Lennon Jai guru dev.”
Over the years, visitors to Rishikesh, a small city in the Himalayan foothills boasting several meditation and yoga centres and whitewater rafting, have painted murals of the Beatles on the derelict ashram buildings, which are being retained. Fans could sneak in by climbing over the perimeter walls and the meditation hall decorated with colourful graffiti has been the main attraction.
The Beatles travelled there in February 1968 with a large entourage including Jane Asher and Cynthia Lennon. They had met the Maharishi at a seminar in a London hotel. Starr recently recalled the first time he met him as “one of those mind-altering moments of your life”.
“The man was so full of joy and happiness and it just blew my mind. It was just so far out I thought ‘I want some of that’.”
One of the Beach Boys, Mike Love, said last year: “We spent a lot of time together in India, at the Maharishi’s place in Rishikesh in 1968. That was pretty unusual for any group of any stature, let alone two of the top groups of the 60s, being in one place at one time for reasons other than music. It was a very special time. I think George Harrison and I had a lot in common in the sense that we both appreciated the philosophy that Maharishi was speaking from.”
McCartney later said: “We made a mistake. We thought there was more to him than there was. He’s human. We thought at first that he wasn’t.”
“There is no guru,” Lennon reportedly later concluded. “You have to believe in yourself. You’ve got to get down to your own god in your own temple. It’s all down to you, mate.”
By Robert Booth
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