Photos from the Crumbling Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh

No visit to Rishikesh is complete without a stop at the decaying ‘Beatles Ashram’. It was here that most of the songs from the White Album were written in 1968, after the band adopted Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as their guru. Maharishi later ran into tax problems and the land was eventually claimed by the Indian government, which has now declared it a national park and is allowing the jungle to reclaim the vast complex.

The ashram is an easy fifteen-minute walk from the Ram Jhula bridge, following the Ganges River as it makes its way to the plains below. You’ll know your there when the road turns to rough dirt and you see several touts standing around, waiting to lead you through the ruins.

Technically, the ashram is closed to visitors but the old man who lives there as a guard and steward will let you in for 50 rupees ($1.25 US). Normally, I try to shake off anyone who offers to play tour guide but here it’s well worth the expense — the buildings are so overgrown that I probably would have only discovered a quarter of the place without help.

The old Yoga Center is one of the most visually-arresting buildings in the complex. As with the others, everything of use has been stripped — door frames, electrical outlets, fittings and more.

These two photos are from the on-site bank, one of the larger buildings in the ashram. When the band eventually fell out with the Maharishi, one of the often-heard complaints was that he seemed to be overly-focused on financial gain. It was noted that his accountant never left his side and he would later develop a taste for collecting Rolls Royces.

The forest is thick and relentless here. My guide took me along the ‘jungle trail’, which is what I believe he intended to name it after he actually got around to creating one. Within minutes I was scratched up, bleeding, covered in cobwebs and cursing like a sailor.

The Meditation Hall was similar to the Yoga Center in its layout and was equally distressed. Off to the side sat the tiny mediation cells, 84 in all, and they were well-named — small, dark and claustrophobic.

I have, embarrassingly, forgotten my guide’s name but he was a great help, soft-spoken and very knowledgeable about the area. When were were negotiating a fee, he insisted that I “pay as you like” and insisted that all he needed was “a little baksheesh — no big money”. I paid him 150 rupees ($3.75 US) when we were done — he seemed satisfied and I certainly was.

Tagged as: photos, India

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