A Trip to the "Beatles Ashram" in Rishikesh, India

In 1968, the Beatles set out for Rishikesh, India, to study Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Their retreat was an extremely productive period; while there, they wrote over 20 songs, 18 of which appeared on the White Album.

During my own week-long retreat in Rishikesh, I visited the once-famed International Academy of Meditation, now referred to as the "Beatles Ashram." Here's a quick video for context!

Ascending the Mountain

From Rishikesh, the easiest way to reach the Beatles Ashram is 30-minute scooter ride into the Himalayas. My cousin and I rode past cows, monkeys, peacocks . . . and even a family herding their oxen. We passed by a tiger reserve, but luckily there were none in sight!

Exploring the Ashram

Prior to 2016, entry was generally free. However, there's now a fee charged to tourists that's being used for reconstruction and preservation of the Ashram. You'll see the current state of overgrowth and decay in these photos.



There are hundreds of these tiny, numbered huts throughout the ashram. Students and visitors would live in these for the duration of their stay. You could probably fit two people "comfortably" per unit, and each pair of units is connected via the open doorway on the roof.



Here's number 9 - the unit that The Beatles occupied! (And that's my cousin on the roof)



There were some legitimately creepy areas. Here's a hallway of tiny meditation chambers. There's supposedly 84 in total throughout the ashram, one for each of the 84 basic yoga poses.



A short hike took us to this great view of the Ganges River and Rishikesh. I Imagine it's a bit more developed now than when George, John, Ringo, and Paul were here.



Here's a shot of me on top of this strange rooftop dome one of the largest buildings at the ashram. The view (and the photo op) was incredible!



My cousin had to one-up me and climb on top of the taller dome :p

The Beatles Cathedral

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring area of the ashram is what's now known as the "Beatles Cathedral" - an old lecture hall where students used to gather to learn the mysteries of Transcendental Meditation, now converted to a living shrine to The Beatles in the form of a street art gallery. Here are some of my favorite pieces:

!

And to top it all off, a sunset ride along the ridges of the Himalayas, overlooking the Ganges :)

I hope you enjoyed my photos! India is a truly magical place, and the Beatles Ashram is not to be missed. I encourage you to make the pilgrimage :)

For more stories and photos from India and beyond, be sure to follow @californicajun!