The cluster of igloo shaped huts- Chaurasi Kutia, where the famous rock band The Beatles and Farrow sisters once stayed and the ‘Maharshi Dhyan Kendra’ were lying abandoned since 1983 before being opened for visitors some years ago. Now, the place is buzzing with activity and the visitors from foreign lands are giving it a touch of art in the meditation hall centre located near a hillock in Swargashram area of Rishikesh, now a part of the Gohri range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve. A casual visit to the ashram takes one to a different world which has dilapidated building, walls with peeling plaster but in a process of getting fresh leash at the hands some graffiti artists busy painting these walls.
Once facing neglect, the 84 hut like constructions known as Chaurasi Kutia and a big meditation hall has now curious visitors from Canada, Australia and England. Pan Trinity Das from Canada has painted as many as 20 wall murals with more yet to come. It was no less than a spiritual experience for this Canadian who has become a regular visitor since 2012. This is his fifth consecutive year of visit and this time he has come with a friend who hails from Australia.
Many such sojourns have been made by people from across the world since the ashram has been made open three years ago by the forest department. Well known author Prudence Farrow recently visited the ashram at Chaurasi Kutia in Rishikesh where members of The Beatles learned transcendental meditation from Maharshi Mahesh Yogi. The forest department had also released some Rs 10 crore last year for the revamping of the ashram along with spiritual centres on the circuit which attract tourists. The tourism department is also working on celebrating 50 years of The Beatles’ visit to Rishikesh on February 15.
Six years ago, in 2012, Pan visited Rishikesh for a painting exhibition where a local Tushar brought him to Chaurasi Kutia. Since then he has been a regular visitor to the place. He said, “When I first came here in 2012, there was no one, there was nothing on the walls. I started scraping dust off from the walls with a broom, painted the various graffiti. Now more professionals have also come here.”
Graffitis on walls have messages:
There are huts- meditation chambers stretching on both sides of ‘Maharshi Dhyan Vidyapeeth’ where Pan has painted “let it be” message over images of two elephants with tusks. It is written on a piece of rock, each chamber represents different classic Yoga posture and together they represent whole range of human life.
There are 135 odd rooms where the disciples of the Yogi stayed but they are in shambles. At the entrance, it reads, “They came here in 1968 to study Transcendental Meditation from Maharshi Mahesh Yogi. During their stay they wrote famous songs which are featured in White Album and Abbey Road.”
Notably, The Beatles also visited the ashram in 1968 to learn yoga. The Beatles, wrote nearly 48 songs during their Rishikesh stay later to become famous around the world. The ‘Chaurasi’ (84) huts were constructed for the purpose of yoga and spiritual indoctrination of his disciples in the late 1960s.
A museum of the memorabilia associated with the iconic British rock band would be made at the ashram in Rishikesh said the tourism and culture minister Satpal Maharaj during a Press conference in the recent past.
The visitors can go to this site round the year though the Rajaji tiger reserve closes for visitors on June 15 every year. The seer Mahesh Yogi, had taken some 15 acres of land on lease for 20 years from the erstwhile Uttar Pradesh forest department to set up the ashram, the lease expired in 1981 and this area came under the jurisdiction of Rajaji national park in 2003.
A local shop owner in Rishikesh, Sunil Agarwal said, “I used to go the ashram when I was 15 years old in 1980s. The area had a post office, bank and the place had a spiritual ambiance. The rooms inside the ashram had various facilities including bath tubs and were very well maintained. But now for the past so many years, I have not gone that side as it is all deserted.” It is hoped that the place shall see a revival, said Agarwal
Swami Chidanand Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan Rishikesh said, “These four brothers, came to Rishikesh in the shelter of a remarkable seer Mahesh Yogi and their Vishad turned into Prasad (grief transformed to blessing) And when they went back to london they became very famous. The songs which they composed here, were a big hit so they started spreading this Indian ‘prasad’ the world over. It is a good initiative undertaken by Uttarakhand government to mark 50th anniversary of their visit in a grand way.”
Visitors speak :
A tourist Maria from Spain said, “I just happened to come here. It is a big event going to be held here on February 15. India has given a lot to the world. Even The Beatles felt peace after coming here so they came finding it. It is an experience of a lifetime to be here.”
lucie, another visitor from Vancouver in Canada said, “I grew up listening to The Beatles. Twenty years ago I came searching for Transcendental Meditation, the music and this great teacher. He spoke about philosophy of Vedas, I am fascinated by eastern philosophy and that brings me here. It easily connects.”