How to reach -
1. Travel to rishikesh
2. 5 mins walking distance after crossing Janki Pul. You can cross the Janki pul with a two wheeler.
Ticket fare-
₹ 150 for Indian National.
₹ 75 for Indian Senior citizens.
₹ 40 for students ( upto 18 years )
₹ 75 for students ( over 18 years )
₹ 600 for foreign nationals.
Timings - 10 am to 6:30 pm
The idea of an India trip came to the band when in August 1967, they attended the spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s seminar on Transcendental Meditation in Bangor, Wales. George Harrison’s long-standing enchantment with India and its culture added a motive in favour of the trip.
The ashram is a small built up town in its own. Sadly we only have the remains now which seems as shady as peaceful . The view you get of the whole town from the terrace is top-notch.
The Beatles travelled to the ashram in 1968, they learnt Transcendental Meditation and they wrote much of The White Album and some of Abbey Road while staying on the grounds. "Sexy Sadie" was originally titled "Maharishi", aimed at his alleged seduction of the actress Mia Farrow, but was later changed to avoid a libel suit and maybe from being plain mean. Sexy Sadie is a great song btw. It's speculated that "Bungalow Bill" was written about the son of a visitor who went tiger hunting, "Dear Prudence" was written to try to entice Prudence Farrow out of her 42 hour meditation, and "Why Don't We Do it In the Road" was an inspiration of McCartney's after seeing the free love of monkeys in the ashram.
Beatles mania aside, Maharishi's ashram put Rishikesh on the map for foreigners seeking spiritual outlets and is in no small part responsible for the western movement around yoga and meditation today.
You can also pay a visit to Beatles cafe which is in 'Tapovan' and enjoy great food with a transcendental vibe.
