It might be blasphemy for some, but let me confess that I don’t know much about the Beatles or their songs other than some snippets of Information I came across in a few articles here and there and a few of their songs I listened to in a borrowed audio cassette during my college days, failing to comprehend the lyrics but too embarrassed to admit that to a friend who loaned it to me. In pre-YouTube days there was no option of searching the lyrics version as I now do for most “western” songs.
Hence, when during a recent trip to Rishikesh, my friend and tour companion suggested a visit to the ashram where the Beatles band members stayed in India, I was not too eager. I had read that the Ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was the pioneer of a practice called transcendental meditation, has been abandoned long back and is now visited only by die-hard Beatles fans who revere the place. However, due to insistence of my friend, I thought of giving it a go.
The ashram, also known as Chaurasi Kutia, was built on leased forest land, which was taken back by the state forest department in 2003 and was opened for public viewing in 2015. It is a part of the Rajaji National Park. We were dropped near Ram Jhula by our car driver following an early morning visit to the Neelkanth Mahadev temple and walked via the road starting from the famous Chotiwala restaurant (at present divided among brothers and each showing off their own heavily made-up chotiwala uncles), passing by Parmarth Niketan, Geeta Bhawan and a few other well-known sites of Rishikesh till we reached a relatively deserted stretch with quite a few little calves tied up along the street and an aptly named eatery-cum-guesthouse called “Last Chance”. The entry of the ashram is hidden behind a lane but once you get in and walk up a steep paved street (after buying a Rs. 150 ticket), you will encounter a vast expanse of area, with ruins of buildings and bungalows spread here and there amid trees, overgrown vegetation and graffiti on every wall, painted by the admirers of the band in bright colours, accompanied by messages on peace, meditation, self-seeking and self-healing.
The name Chaurasi Kutia comes from the 84 or so odd-shaped interconnected meditation caves constructed near the entrance. They look like alien warships. Take a left from there and you will reach the exhibition centre, which showcases photographs of the Beatles from the time of their stay, between February and April 1968, looking content and happy in Indian attire and marigold garlands. There is a small display section on the Yogi and his meditation techniques. The internet is full of different dark theories about why the singing stars left the ashram without completing their course, but no one denies two points – meditation influenced them and their songs and they played a key part in evoking interest of the western world in Indian traditions of yoga and meditation.
What I liked about the place is the feeling of walking through a modern-day ruin. The lecture hall, the yogashala, guest houses and residences, the printing press, community kitchen – all described in memoirs of the band members – are there in various stages of disrepair and emanating a feeling of desertion and desolation and the flavour of a bygone era. It evokes thoughts about the evanescent, ephemeral nature of life, fame and existence itself. Nothing will last. Will the river flowing fast below the hills since ancient times remain as it is forever or will global warming someday cause waves of icy slush to come down from the upper reaches and destroy everything in its wake? Now, that was a depressing thought, so I brushed it aside and joined the steady stream of visitors to the Ved Bhawan hall in taking pictures against the backdrop of the gigantic artwork on its walls, painted under the Beatles Ashram Mural Project. The colours and the concept are beautiful and complex itself gives you a sense of serenity, especially after coming through the mad tourist rush near the ghats and suspension bridges.
I will say the visit was worth it. Just for being transported back to another slice of time.
N.B. : 1. Don’t miss the tea and snacks at the small cafeteria inside the complex.
2. Behind the yogashala is a spot which offers a perfect bird’s eye view of the river and the town. There are a few wooden benches and it will be a good idea to rest there for sometime and enjoy the scene.
Hence, when during a recent trip to Rishikesh, my friend and tour companion suggested a visit to the ashram where the Beatles band members stayed in India, I was not too eager. I had read that the Ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was the pioneer of a practice called transcendental meditation, has been abandoned long back and is now visited only by die-hard Beatles fans who revere the place. However, due to insistence of my friend, I thought of giving it a go.
The ashram, also known as Chaurasi Kutia, was built on leased forest land, which was taken back by the state forest department in 2003 and was opened for public viewing in 2015. It is a part of the Rajaji National Park. We were dropped near Ram Jhula by our car driver following an early morning visit to the Neelkanth Mahadev temple and walked via the road starting from the famous Chotiwala restaurant (at present divided among brothers and each showing off their own heavily made-up chotiwala uncles), passing by Parmarth Niketan, Geeta Bhawan and a few other well-known sites of Rishikesh till we reached a relatively deserted stretch with quite a few little calves tied up along the street and an aptly named eatery-cum-guesthouse called “Last Chance”. The entry of the ashram is hidden behind a lane but once you get in and walk up a steep paved street (after buying a Rs. 150 ticket), you will encounter a vast expanse of area, with ruins of buildings and bungalows spread here and there amid trees, overgrown vegetation and graffiti on every wall, painted by the admirers of the band in bright colours, accompanied by messages on peace, meditation, self-seeking and self-healing.
The name Chaurasi Kutia comes from the 84 or so odd-shaped interconnected meditation caves constructed near the entrance. They look like alien warships. Take a left from there and you will reach the exhibition centre, which showcases photographs of the Beatles from the time of their stay, between February and April 1968, looking content and happy in Indian attire and marigold garlands. There is a small display section on the Yogi and his meditation techniques. The internet is full of different dark theories about why the singing stars left the ashram without completing their course, but no one denies two points – meditation influenced them and their songs and they played a key part in evoking interest of the western world in Indian traditions of yoga and meditation.
What I liked about the place is the feeling of walking through a modern-day ruin. The lecture hall, the yogashala, guest houses and residences, the printing press, community kitchen – all described in memoirs of the band members – are there in various stages of disrepair and emanating a feeling of desertion and desolation and the flavour of a bygone era. It evokes thoughts about the evanescent, ephemeral nature of life, fame and existence itself. Nothing will last. Will the river flowing fast below the hills since ancient times remain as it is forever or will global warming someday cause waves of icy slush to come down from the upper reaches and destroy everything in its wake? Now, that was a depressing thought, so I brushed it aside and joined the steady stream of visitors to the Ved Bhawan hall in taking pictures against the backdrop of the gigantic artwork on its walls, painted under the Beatles Ashram Mural Project. The colours and the concept are beautiful and complex itself gives you a sense of serenity, especially after coming through the mad tourist rush near the ghats and suspension bridges.
I will say the visit was worth it. Just for being transported back to another slice of time.
N.B. : 1. Don’t miss the tea and snacks at the small cafeteria inside the complex.
2. Behind the yogashala is a spot which offers a perfect bird’s eye view of the river and the town. There are a few wooden benches and it will be a good idea to rest there for sometime and enjoy the scene.
