A PILGRIMAGE TO RISHIKESH
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Can everyone in India can be bribed? Places that a bus driver claims are impossible to get to suddenly become easy access when you flash a few rupees. And when we were told by an ‘official’ that he could not let us into the abandoned ashram of the Beatles guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, it’s amazing how the padlock disappeared as soon as we ‘Rupeed’ him up a little. (In fact we believe the guy was a complete impostor who had just bought himself a padlock and a ‘uniform’ to make a little cash from gullible western yogis. But you don’t mind being ripped off a bit – these guys like most people in India, are scrapping together a living.)
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had of course brought the world transcendental meditation which gives each adept a personal secret mantra (for a price) that they can chant to gain enlightenment. Problems occurred when the followers shared their secret with one another for they soon discovered that far from being their own personalised chant, most of the mantras were the same for everyone. As you may gather I’ve never been impressed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s methods but you do have to give him credit for encouraging over five million people to meditate including many celebrities and pop stars. The most famous of these were the Beatles who at this ashram wrote the music to the ‘White Album’.
The abandoned ashram was fascinating. It is gradually being overtaken by the jungle and is now the home of monkeys, cows and other animals. Its most interesting features are the hundreds of meditation pods that are dotted over the hillside that overlooks the Ganges. Exploring these, we discovered that each one is a self-contained unit where a person could meditate, sleep and cook their food. It is easy to see why the Beatles liked this place- it must have been a comparatively comfortable and pleasant retreat from Beatlemania. |
The main buildings were in serious decay and had clearly been looted for anything of value. It felt a shame that such an amazing place had been abandoned but to lift the spirits of the place we decided to have a bhajan session and in a hall that once sat thousands now echoed our lonely fifteen voices.
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NEXT: The Shiva Caves
- Did Jesus Live in India? |
