They can now wander around the premises easily, after paying an entry fee for Rs 150 ($2) for Indians and Rs 600 ($9) for foreigners.
Advertisement
An abandoned spiritual retreat in northern India where The Beatles famously learned to meditate has been opened to the public, with plans to turn it into a touristy yoga centre. The members of the Beatles, a popular music band of the 1960s, had visited the ashram in 1968.
Uttarakhand’s Forest Department has converted the ashram into an eco-friendly tourist destination, offering bird walks and nature trails, reports The Indian Express.
Officials from Uttarakhand state’s Rajaji Tiger Reserve, where the derelict ashram lies, threw open its doors to the public this week after clearing away the dense tropical vegetation that had enveloped the site’s buildings, meditation cells and lecture halls.
“We have cleaned up the place and lined the pathways with flowers”, forestry official Rajendra Nautiyal tells the BBC. Ringo Starr went home after ten days because he couldn’t tolerate spicy food, Paul McCartney stayed for a month, while John Lennon and George Harrison left after six weeks. It was reclaimed by the local forestry department in 2003, and Beatles fans have been known to sneak in by climbing over the walls or bribing the gatekeepers. We are making some gardens and putting some benches for visitors.
George Harrison and John Lennon sit on rocks by a river in Rishikesh while studying transcendental meditation. Yet, its star attraction is a meditation hall covered with colourful graffiti inspired by their songs and made by fans from around the world. All in all, they penned more than 40 songs at the ashram – several of which later appeared on “The White Album“. “We want to retain the place’s rustic look”.
The ashram which had been leased to Mahesh Yogi by the government in 1961, but was abandoned during the 1990s.
Advertisement
Neena Grewal, director RTR, who took the initiative to spruce up the ashram, told The Times of India, “The ashram has been visited by Beatles fans ever since the band came here way back in 1968. Our aim is to ensure that visitors don’t simply come for the Beatles connection, but to learn the magic of nature, meditation and yoga”, Uttarakhand Forest Minister Dinesh Aggarwal, chief guest for the opening ceremony, stated.
