The Beatles' India: The Fab Four's Former Ashram (PHOTOS)

In 1968, The Beatles and celebrity friends set off for the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India. Most of the White Album and some change later, they returned home, but their Indian experience sounds through the many songs they composed there.

Today, the "Beatles' Ashram" is still nestled in the Himalayan foothills, overgrown and abandoned, yet at points overlooking the ice-blue Ganges' holy waters. Cows graze outside former homes, monkey troops are entrenched on rooftops, and cobwebs yield encounters with unpleasantly large eight-legged friends. In short, it's an adventurer's dream: see for yourself!

Have you been to Rishikesh, or nearby parts of Uttarakhand state in India? If so, we'd love to see your photos!

Photos by Julia Fraker

 

Have you been to Rishikesh, or nearby? Send us your photos!

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The Town of Rishikesh

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Comments

[ZENNEPHI]

05:22 PM on 01/19/2011

Had Beloved John [Lennon] lived and better yet, traversed to Pune, India, the "Craddle of Civilation";
he would of been inspired by the happenings of the [Rajneeshdom Ashram].
Bhagwan formulated [Carl Jungs] physco theraputics to a ritual called "Dynamic Meditation" and
the "Mystic Rose". After the Oregon-USA Commune disbanded {circa' 1987}, and visiting Salt Lake City for refueling; His onterage flew on to South Carolina where Federal Marshals arrested him
him for Immegration Fraud/Sham Marriages. Upon Councils advice, He plead Guilty, while the
[Rajneesh Foundation] paid his fine. He returned to Pune India and died 5 Years later.
He dropped his name, and took on the name of a Buddhist Monk: "OSHO"
And like Reverend [ Dr.King], left the Brotherhood a Dream for the "Chosen Few":

..."I Leave you My Dream, My Temples, My Mosques, My Books, My Disciples and
my Children Yet Unborne..."

...."You May Say I'm a Dreamer, but I'm not the Only One, I Hope Some Day you'll
Join Us, and the World Will as One..."[E.M.I. Records Ltd]-Capital

[Kalin Persuation]

11:33 AM on 12/01/2010

I stayed at Maharishi's Ashram at Shankaracharya Nagar in Rishikesh in 1974 during the Ardh Kumbh Mela festival. Many of the ashram buildings hadn't as yet been constructed including all the cement meditation domes. Maharishi's house was already no longer used as he was traveling abroad so much. I remember our biggest problem was the monkey population breaking into our room. The bridge at Rishikesh hadn't as yet been built and the only way across the Ganges was the "Gita boat."

[floater]

08:59 AM on 12/01/2010

made me want to visit

[Hank007]

08:38 AM on 12/01/2010

Great photos. Today Rishikesh is like 'Yoga Disneyland'. Every time I am there I run into people I know from the west. There is a great German bakery cafe, and the tourists outnumber the locals. 'Back in the day' there were tons of real sadhus there, today it's mostly 'paisa babas' bumming money off the tourists. It's still a cool place, and worth visiting if you are in India and haven't seen it.

[Whitemellon]

08:18 AM on 12/01/2010

Great pictures. As a side note I just read Richards new book and as a guitar player I found it interesting on how him and Mick wrote their songs. If you grew up listening to the Stones it's an interesting read and brings back memories. I know he was not a Beatle but the reply would not work for grange's comment below.

[grange]

04:35 AM on 12/01/2010

Great pictutes but i always thought the stones were the superior band.

[Ted Slowik]

11:02 PM on 11/30/2010

Here's a nice video of the ruined ashram set to "Sexy Sadie" from the White Album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYck2B_0-DI

[sevak]

09:50 PM on 11/30/2010

Hare Krishna Hare Rama hare Krishna... I love George.

[huffnpuff2]

08:54 PM on 11/30/2010

Remember what John and Mia said happened in that Ashram? Not good. Maharishi a bad boy.

[rumblingspire]

10:18 PM on 11/30/2010

he is first a man. john was too hard on him.

[Promise]

11:25 PM on 11/30/2010

He was a monk. He took a vow of chastity. People trusted him. He betrayed their trust and his vows. Creep.

[Hank007]

08:34 AM on 12/01/2010

McCartney in his autobiography said it actually never happened, and was a rumor started by 'Magic Alex' to get John out from under the Maharishi's control. John later figured this out.

[Keith DeBoer]

07:05 PM on 11/30/2010

It is unfortunate that this historic location has fallen into disrepair (by the way the property is currently owned by the Indian Govt) but the Maharishi went on to build much larger campuses as part of a network of schools and colleges which now have about 80,000 students. http://maharishi-india.org/institutions/index.html http://www.maharishividyamandir.com/mvmSchools.jsp

[Tulka2]

07:52 PM on 11/30/2010

Brrrr... you go to Iowa.  I'll go to India.  lol

[ie]

08:35 PM on 11/30/2010

India in the winter, Iowa in the summer :)

[Eric Cashew Harding]

06:16 PM on 11/30/2010

How close was this to where the Ice Road Truckers drove around?

[KillgoreTrout43]

08:14 PM on 11/30/2010

LOL! God I hate that show.

[Hank007]

08:35 AM on 12/01/2010

This is just below where some of it was filmed.

[ie]

05:08 PM on 11/30/2010

Rishikesh, and Haridwar--just down the road--are wonderful cities. The flight to India is a long one but I hope to return to Haridwar and Rishikesh some day. My guide took me past the old ashram on the walk to the Ganga. It's a beautiful area. The temples and ashrams and countryside are magical. Go if you can.

[derrickhoyle]

04:45 PM on 11/30/2010

Wonderwall Music is one of my favorite albums.

[rel77]

04:01 PM on 11/30/2010

These pictures left me feeling kind of sad, it was like seeing the idealism of the ashram and of that time abandoned, left to decay and rot over time. I'm surprised no one ever tried to continue it, at least from a tourism perspective. It's a pretty important part of Beatles lore, and their importance culturally and even spiritually continues to grow over time.

[Rolem]

04:36 PM on 11/30/2010

"the idealism of the ashram"

has been alive and well since 1974 in Fairfield, Iowa at Maharishi University of Mangement.

Ask Donovan, David Lynch, Stephen Collins and the 3,000 TM'ers who live there.

[derrickhoyle]

04:45 PM on 11/30/2010

Mike Love is big into that place.

[rel77]

05:01 PM on 11/30/2010

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that the TM movement had died, sorry. I was just talking about that specific place. I am familiar with the involvement of those people too, as I was one of the lucky few thousand who saw the concert that was put on at Radio City Music Hall back in April of '09, featuring McCartney and Ringo. That was a truly magical evening.

[Kahill]

04:01 PM on 11/30/2010

The ‘White Album’ has a beautiful, soulful and mystical song by George Harrison “Long, Long, Long”. One of the most underrated Beatle songs of all time! The sound levels in original seemed a bit off. But the 2009 Re-mastered version has fixed it. It really brings a lump in my throat every time I hear it!

[Hill Dweller]

05:06 PM on 11/30/2010

I agree! I have listened to the White Album since I was a teenager (not too terribly long ago). I just discovered how beautiful "Long, Long, Long" is recently. It goes to show that you can appreciate the White Album more each time you listen to it. That speaks volumes for The Beatles as artists. Of all of The Beatles, I have always been most fond of George Harrison.

[Keith DeBoer]

07:09 PM on 11/30/2010

One of my favorite Beatles tunes! Here it is on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmMA9Qqxcts

[KillgoreTrout43]

08:20 PM on 11/30/2010

Thanks, I haven't heard that in a Long, Long time.