Indian retreat where the Beatles learned to meditate is opened to t...

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/09/indian-retreat-wh...

Indian retreat where the Beatles

learned to meditate is opened to
the public
All four members spent time during the 1960s at ashram in the town of
Rishikesh run by a self-styled guru and his followers
Guardian staff
Wednesday 9 December 2015 06.52GMT

An abandoned spiritual retreat in India where the Beatles wrote scores

of songs and learned to meditate has been opened to the public for the
rst time since the 1970s.
The group decamped with their wives to the ashram in the town of
Rishikesh in 1968. Their plan had been to spend three months there
but Ringo Starr left after 10 days, Paul McCartney lasted four weeks
and John Lennon and George Harrison were gone after six.
Despite the length of their stay it is estimated that the band wrote 48
songs during the visit, with several later appearing on the White
Album.
During the 1960s the ashram was run by self-styled guru Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi. He and his followers abandoned the site in the 1970s,
leaving it for nature to reclaim. He died in 2008.
The land, on the fringes of a tiger reserve, is now under the control of
the forestry department.
But its role in the history of the Beatles has not been forgotten by
devoted fans, many of whom have scaled walls or bribed gatekeepers
over the years to visit the meditation hall.

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Indian retreat where the Beatles learned to meditate is opened to t...

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/09/indian-retreat-wh...

On 8 December authorities ocially opened the gates, charging

foreigners the equivalent of 7 for entry.
We have cleaned up the place and lined the pathways with owers.
We are making some gardens and putting some benches for visitors,
senior forestry ocial Rajendra Nautiyal told the BBC.
We are introducing a nature trial and bird walk. We also plan to set up
a cafeteria and a souvenir shop at some point. We want to retain the
places rustic look.
More news

Topics
The Beatles
India
South and Central Asia

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