Want a Magical Mystery Tour of the ashram in which the Beatles spent time learning meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi? Well now you can get one.
The Uttarakhand government has finally thrown open the gates to the “Chaurasi Kutia” ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Rishikesh, where the band stayed in 1968 as they meditated and sought solace.
According to The Tribune, the ashram was inaugurated on Tuesday by Uttarakhand Forest Minister Dinesh Aggarwal who has said that efforts will be made to the bring two living members of the band – Ringo Starr and Paul MacCartney – to the ashram after 47 years.
The ashram, which has remained abandoned since 1997, has been turned into an eco-friendly tourist destination with facilities for bird watching and nature walks.
The Indian Express reports that the walls of the yoga hall have been painted with pop-art and black-and-white portraits of Beatles. Lyrics of some of the band’s timeless numbers like ‘Here Comes the Sun’ and ‘Let It Be’ have also been written on another wall.
Artists and travelers have painted the walls of ashram with portraits of Beatles and other celebrities | Source: @PassportTickets/Twitter
Foreign tourists will have to shell out Rs 600 to visit the ashram while an Indian tourist has to pay only Rs 150.
In 1968, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr had arrived at the ashram to learn meditation but all of them left before they completed the three month meditation-course. However, it wasn’t all bad. The bad composed some of the best known songs from the legendary White Album while they were at the ashram.
The ashram remained abandoned since 1997 but never lost its significance for the Beatles fans across the globe | Source: @Kirstie_Cope/Twitter
Here’s a video of the band when they were in Rishikesh:
Feature image source: YouTube