Revision 156726805 of "Benutzer:Joseph S. Ford/The Beatles in India" on dewiki

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{{The Beatles history|above=[[File:The Beatles at Rishikesh.jpg|150px]]<br>The Beatles in Rishikesh with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi}}

'''[[The Beatles]]''' visited '''[[Rishikesh]]''', India, in 1968, to attend an advanced [[Transcendental Meditation technique|Transcendental Meditation]] (TM) training session at the [[ashram]] of [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. They had first met the Maharishi in London, on 24 August 1967, and then attended a seminar at the campus of a teaching college in [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]]. Although planned to be a 10-day series of seminars, their stay was cut short by the death of their manager, [[Brian Epstein]], on 27 August. The Beatles made plans to attend a TM initiator training programme at the Maharishi's new ashram in October, but the trip had to be cancelled due to the filming of the [[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|''Magical Mystery Tour'' film]].  

They eventually arrived at the ashram in February 1968, along with wives, girlfriends, and assistants, [[Neil Aspinall]] and [[Mal Evans]], and followed by reporters. [[Ringo Starr]] left after only a short stay, but [[Paul McCartney]] stayed for several weeks. [[John Lennon]] and [[George Harrison]] left abruptly in April, after rumours of inappropriate behaviour by the Maharishi. While there, the musicians wrote many songs which were later recorded on ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' (''White Album'') and ''[[Abbey Road]]''. Their adoption of the Maharishi as their guru attracted wide attention and is credited with changing attitudes in the West about Indian spirituality.

==Background==
[[File:MahareshiYogi2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=A 1973 photograph of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a middle-aged man of Indian heritage with long black hair and a partly grey beard, wearing a white robe and gesticulating.|link=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi|[[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]], in 1973]]
The Beatles were becoming more interested in Eastern influences for their music, and had been using drugs in an effort to expand their consciousness.<ref name=NewYorkTimes>{{cite news |title=Meditation on the man who saved The Beatles |first=Allan |last=Kozinn |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=7 February 2008 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/arts/07iht-07yogi.9826732.html?_r=1}}</ref> [[Magic Alex|Alexis "Magic Alex" Mardas]], a friend of all four Beatles, and head of [[Apple Electronics]],{{sfn|Anthology DVD|2003}} had once heard a lecture by the Maharishi in Athens, Greece, and when Harrison's wife, [[Pattie Boyd]], became interested in the teachings of the Maharishi, he encouraged the individual Beatles to attend a lecture.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=241}}  At Boyd's suggestion,{{sfn|Greene|2008|p=86}} The Beatles attended a lecture at the [[London Hilton on Park Lane|London Hilton]] on Park Lane, presented by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, on 24 August 1967.{{sfn|Boyd|Junor|2008|p=96}} The Maharishi had announced his imminent retirement, so it was expected to be his last public lecture in the West.{{sfn|Goldman|1988|p=273}} Band members had already seen him on Granada TV years earlier.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=400, 403}} The Beatles were given front row seats and were invited to meet the Maharishi in his hotel suite,{{sfn|Tillery|2010|p=63}} after the lecture had finished.{{sfn|Goldman|1988|p=274}} During the ninety-minute meeting, he invited them to be his guests at a training retreat in Wales.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=241}}

The next day, the group travelled by train to the campus of a teaching college in Bangor, Wales, along with [[Mick Jagger]], [[Marianne Faithfull]], [[Cilla Black]], and around 300 others,{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|pp=243-245}} where they learnt the basics of Transcendental Meditation,<ref>{{cite news |title=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi |newspaper=[[The Times]] |work=The Times |location=London |date=7 February 2008 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3320882.ece}}</ref> and were given a [[mantra]].{{sfn|Greene|2008|p=88}} While there, they announced at a press conference that they were giving up drugs (apparently referring to [[psychedelic drugs|psychedelics]], but not [[marijuana]]).{{sfn|Goldman|1988|p=275}}{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=449}} The Maharishi advised them privately to avoid involvement with the [[anti-nuclear movement|"Ban the Bomb"]] movement and to support the elected government of the day.<ref name=Felton/> Although meant to be a 10-day series of seminars, their stay was cut short by the death of their manager, Epstein, on 27 August.{{sfn|Gregory|2007|p=188}} The Maharishi helped ease their shock by convincing them that Epstein was still with them and that their good thoughts would help his journey "on to its next evolution".{{sfn|Greene|2008|p=88}}{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=406}}

Curious to learn more, all four Beatles made plans to attend a TM initiator training programme at the Maharishi's new ashram in India, in October,<ref name=Felton>{{cite news|title=Beatles' Yogi Allows Shoes at Conference|first=Dave|last=Felton|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=20 September 1967|page=A3}}</ref> but the trip was postponed due to their commitment to the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' film and its [[Magical Mystery Tour|soundtrack]] album.<ref name=BeatlesBible>{{cite web |url=http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/india/ |title=The Beatles and India |author= |year=2010 |work=The Beatles Bible |accessdate=21 April 2010}}</ref> The band appeared twice on [[David Frost]]'s prgramme talking about TM.{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|p=274}} Now publicised as "The Beatles' Guru", the Maharishi went on his eighth world tour, giving lectures in Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, Canada, and California.<ref name=Lefferts>{{cite news|title=Chief Guru of the World|first=Barney|last=Lefferts|date=17 December 1967|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> He spoke to 3,600 people at [[The Theater at Madison Square Garden]] in New York City in January 1968. The Beatles sent a large flower arrangement to his suite at the [[Plaza Hotel]].<ref>{{cite news|title=3,600 Hear Guru Urge Meditation|first=Paul|last=Hofman|date= 22 January 1968|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Although there was talk of making a film about the Maharishi in co-operation with [[Apple Films]],{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=257}} it was discovered that the Maharishi was independently negotiating with [[ABC Television]] in the U.S., to create a TV special featuring the band.{{sfn|Gaines|1995|p=195}} Two calls by business manager [[Peter Brown (music industry)|Peter Brown]] to the Maharishi—who was lecturing in [[Malmö]], Sweden—and one by Harrison and McCartney, failed to stop him proclaiming that he could deliver the band for a TV show.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=257}} Before leaving for India, the band recorded the instrumental tracks for "[[Across the Universe]]", whose refrain, "Jai Guru Dev",<ref name="introtomeditation">{{cite web|url=http://www.introtomeditation.com/jaigurudeva.html |title= Jai Guru Deva|first=Thom |last=Knowles|publisher=introtomeditation |date=15 February 2007|accessdate=8 May 2011}}</ref> was a standard greeting within the Maharishi's [[Spiritual Regeneration Movement]].{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=462}} The customary fee for TM initiation at the time one was one week's salary. That fee, a considerable amount for a Beatle, was paid by the band and many of their entourage except for Lennon.<ref name=Nossiter/>{{sfn|Sheff|2000|p=190}}

==Arrival==
Lennon, his wife [[Cynthia Lennon|Cynthia]] (with their son [[Julian Lennon]]),{{sfn|Ryan|1982|p=153}} the Harrisons, and [[Jenny Boyd]],{{sfn|Boyd|Junor|2008|p=112}} arrived in [[Delhi]] on 15 February, where they were met by Evans,{{sfn|Cross|2004|p=173}} who had arranged a {{convert|150|mi|km|adj=on}} taxi drive to Rishikesh. McCartney, his girlfriend [[Jane Asher]], Starr and his wife [[Maureen Starkey|Maureen]] arrived four days later.{{sfn|Cross|2004|p=173}} The group arrived three weeks after the session, due to end 25 April, had already begun.<ref name=Lelyveld>{{cite news|title=Beatles' Guru is Turning Them Into Gurus With Cram Course|first=Joseph|last=Lelyveld|date=23 February 1968|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> They were accompanied by a small retinue of reporters and photographers who were mostly kept out of the fenced and gated compound.<ref name=Spencer>{{cite news |title=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Spiritual leader who introduced millions, including The Beatles, to transcendental meditation |first=Spencer |last=Leigh |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maharishi-mahesh-yogi-spiritual-leader-who-introduced-millions-including-the-beatles-to-transcendental-meditation-779109.html |date=7 February 2008 |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref><ref name=Cynthia>{{cite news |title=The Beatles, the Maharishi and me |first=Cynthia |last=Lennon |newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]] |work=The Times |location=London |date=10 February 2008 |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3340963.ece}}</ref> As soon as Starr arrived, he asked Evans to take him to a doctor: "When we arrived at the local hospital, I tried to get immediate treatment for him [Starr], to be told curtly by the Indian doctor, 'He is not a special case and will have to wait his turn.' So off we go to pay a private doctor ten rupees for the privilege of hearing him say it will be all right".<ref name="HerethereandeverywhereTimep3">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article424674.ece?token=null&offset=24&page=3 |title=Here, there and everywhere |date=20 March 2005 |page=3 |first=Mark |last=Edmonds |publisher=[[The Times]]  |accessdate=17 August 2009 | location=London}}</ref> Evans, Brown and Aspinall were there for all or part of the time.{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=466}}<!--Evans-->

Also there at the same time were [[Mia Farrow]] (who had recently divorced [[Frank Sinatra]]), her sister [[Prudence Farrow|Prudence]] and brother John, [[Donovan]], [[Gyp Mills|Gyp "Gypsy Dave" Mills]],{{sfn|Saltzman|2001|p=87}} [[The Beach Boys|Beach Boy]] [[Mike Love]],{{sfn|Gaines|1995|p=195}} [[jazz]] [[Flute|flutist]] [[Paul Horn (musician)|Paul Horn]], journalist [[Lewis H. Lapham]], filmmaker [[Paul Saltzman]], socialite and author [[Nancy Cooke de Herrera]], actor Jerry Stovin,<ref>{{cite news|title=JERRY STOVIN, ACTOR: 1922-2005|first=John|last=Chaput|work=The Globe and Mail|location=Toronto, Ont.|date=2 November 2005|page=S.9}}</ref> and dozens of other, all Europeans or Americans – about sixty people in all.{{sfn|Boyd|Junor|2008|p=115}}<ref name=Lelyveld/> Despite speculation that she might attend, [[Shirley MacLaine]] did not appear.<ref name=Lefferts/> Mardas arrived four weeks later,{{sfn|Boyd|Junor|2008|p=112}} after Starr and McCartney had left.<ref name="StatementbyMardas"/>

==Facility==
Located in the holy "Valley of the Saints", the "International Academy of Meditation", also called the "Chaurasi Kutia ashram",<ref name=Pioneer/> was a {{convert|14|acre|m2|adj=on}} compound across from Rishikesh, the "yoga capital of the world" and home to many ashrams, in the foothills of the [[Himalayas]], {{convert|150|ft|m}} above the [[Ganges|River Ganges]] and surrounded by jungle.<ref>{{Coord|30.109745|78.312774|format=dms}}</ref><ref name=Turner>{{cite news|title=The Fab Tour|first=Steve|last=Turner|work=[[Mail on Sunday]]|location=London|date=11 March 2007|page=91}}</ref> While ashrams are traditionally spartan or primitive, the Maharishi's was designed to suit Western habits and described as "luxurious" but also as "seedy".<ref name=Nossiter>{{cite news|title=IN YOGI LAND|first=Bernard|last=Nossiter|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=18 February 1968|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Preacher of Peace|date=22 January 1968|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> It had been built in 1963 with a $100,000 gift from American heiress [[Doris Duke]],{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|p=124}} on land leased from the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.<ref name=Pioneer>{{cite news|title=Ayush Gram to come up on Mahesh Yogi ashram site|work=The Pioneer|location=New Delhi|date=26 January 2011|url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/313293/Ayush-Gram-to-come-up-on-Mahesh-Yogi-ashram-site.html|archivedate=27 January 2011|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5w3qY3YVo|first=Paritosh |last=Kimothi}}</ref> While The Beatles were there the Maharishi was negotiating with the Indian government to use some nearby park land for an airstrip for a plane which he had been given;<ref name=Nossiter/> a deal which was protested by several thousand landless peasants who had been denied the use of the land for farming.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yogi Undisturbed by Resistance to Airfield|first=Arthur J|last=Dommen|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1 April 1968|page=29}}</ref> 

The stone bungalows were equipped with electric heaters, running water, toilets, and English-style furniture.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=284}} The Lennons shared a four-poster bed at the ashram, with Lennon playing guitar, while his wife would draw and write poetry between their long sessions of meditation.{{sfn|Mulligan|2010|p=105}} The ashram was surrounded by barbed wire and the gates were kept locked and guarded.<ref name=Lelyveld/> Evans wrote in his diary on 17 February 1968: "The [[Mass media|press]] really tried kicking down the gates into the Ashram, the Indian people on the ashram called me half way through, but as soon as an Indian reporter told me 'No bloody foreigner is going to stop me in my own country', I cooled it".<ref name="MalEvansDiaryExtracts">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article424669.ece |title=Mal Evans' diary extracts |publisher=The Times |date=20 March 2005 |accessdate=8 May 2011 | location=London}}</ref>

Meals were eaten in an open dining area, where the vegetarian meals,{{sfn|Anthology|2000|p=283}} prepared by an English cook, were unwillingly shared with aggressive monkeys,{{sfn|Cross|2004|p=173}} although McCartney remembered that cornflakes were served at breakfast.{{sfn|Anthology|2000|p=283}} Starr had problems with the diet at the ashram, because of his past illnesses:<ref name="HerethereandeverywhereTimep3"/> "The food was impossible for me, because I'm allergic to so many different things, so I took two suitcases with me: one of clothes and one of [[H. J. Heinz Company|Heinz]] beans".{{sfn|Anthology DVD|2003}} Like other students at the ashram, all four Beatles adopted native dress, as the ashram had a tailor on the premises to make clothes for the students. They shopped in Rishikesh and bought saris to be made into shirts and jackets in the loudest colours, which went on to affect Western fashions when they wore them back home.{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|p=222}} 

==Experience==
The days were devoted to meditating and attending lectures by the Maharishi, who spoke from a flower-bedecked platform in an auditorium.{{sfn|Boyd|Junor|2008|p=115}} The Maharishi also gave private lessons to the individual Beatles, nominally due to their late arrival. The tranquil environment provided by the Maharishi—complete with meditation, relaxation, and away from the media throng—helped the band to relax. While he kept the media away from his famous students, the Maharishi frequently gave them personal interviews.<ref name=Lelyveld/>
[[File:The Beatles at Rishikesh.jpg|250px|thumb|alt=A 1968 formal group portrait showing Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Beatles and their companions posed on a dais. Behind the Maharishi is a painting of his guru, Brahmananda Saraswati. The rest of the 60 students are seated on either side.|link=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi|[[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]], [[The Beatles]] and their companions posed on a dais.  Behind the Maharishi is a painting of his guru, [[Brahmananda Saraswati]]. The rest of the 60 students are seated on either side. This formal class portrait was planned by the Maharishi and photographed by several photographers, including this image by [[Paul Saltzman]].]]

Donovan remembered that the first day with the Maharishi was awkward, as everyone sat around on the floor, but nothing was said. Lennon relieved the tension by walking across the room to the Maharishi and patting him on the head, saying, "There's a good little guru".{{sfn|Tillery|2010|p=66}} The Maharishi doted on his celebrity students,{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|pp=212, 219, 252–253}} and although access to the individual Beatles was limited, the Maharishi did have all of his students line up for a class portrait. Cooke de Herrera, a longtime follower, says that she complained to the Maharishi for giving his celebrity students unusual attention, including placing them at the center of the portrait.{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992}} One of the photographers who took a picture of the assembled group was Saltzman, a Canadian filmmaker who visited the ashram after completing film work elsewhere in India. While there he took some snapshots which he later assembled into a book, ''The Beatles in India''.{{sfn|Saltzman|2001}} In its various incarnations, the image has been called "one of the most iconic photographs in the history of rock 'n' roll".<ref>{{cite news|title=From Rishikesh to Abbey Road|first=Savitha|last=Gautam|work=The Hindu|location=[[Chennai]]|date=2 January 2009}}</ref> McCartney was uncomfortable with the Maharishi's flattery, including calling the band "the blessed leaders of the world's youth".{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=466}}

On 25 February, Harrison's 25th birthday was celebrated with cake and a display of fireworks.{{sfn|Anthology|2000|p=283}} He was given a mounted upside-down plastic globe of the world as a birthday present by the Maharishi, who said, "George, the globe I am giving you symbolizes the world today. I hope you will help us all in the task of putting it right". Harrison immediately turned the globe to its correct position, shouting, "I've done it!"{{sfn|Cross|2004|p=175}} (Harrison often jokingly referred to the Maharishi as "The Big M").{{sfn|Shouler|Susai|2009|p=223}} The Maharishi also gave the Lennons' son an Indian prince's outfit for his birthday, on 8 April.{{sfn|Ryan|1982|p=153}} On another occasion, Kershi Cambata, a patron of the Maharishi's who owned an aviation company, flew two helicopters to Rishikesh to take the Maharishi and his guests for rides and for the publicity value.{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|pp=235–238}} One night, when the moon was full, the Maharishi arranged for everyone to cruise on the Ganges in two barges. The evening started with the chanting of [[Veda]]s by two [[pandit]]s, but soon the musicians brought out their guitars. The Beatles sang Donovan's songs, Mike Love and Donovan sang Beatles' songs, and Horn "really wailed".{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|pp=246–247}}<ref name=Feather>{{cite news|title=A Report From Meditation Land|first=Leonard|last=Feather|authorlink=Leonard Feather|work=Los Angeles Times|date=22 April 1968|page=C27}}</ref>

After dinner, the musicians shared an evening [[joint (cannabis)|joint]], listened to records, and played their guitars and [[sitar]]s.{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|p=278}} {{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|p=246}} Their partners gathered together in one of their rooms, often talking about life as the wife or partner of a Beatle.{{sfn|Mulligan|2010|p=105}} Donovan taught Lennon a guitar finger-picking technique that Lennon passed on to Harrison.{{sfn|Blaney|2005|p=134}} The technique was subsequently implemented on "[[Dear Prudence]]" and "[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]".{{sfn|Blaney|2005|p=255}} The stay at the ashram turned out to be one of the group's most creative periods. Lennon said of the experience, "I was going humity-humity in my head and the songs were coming out. For creating it was great. It was just pouring out!"{{sfn|Goldman|1988|p=294}} Although Lennon later said, "Although it was very beautiful and I was meditating about eight hours a day, I was writing the most miserable songs on earth".{{sfn|Ingham|2003|p=59}} Both Lennon and McCartney often spent time composing rather than meditating.<ref>{{cite news|title=The sound of The Beatles breaking up; The band's white album turns 40 this year. Randy Shore takes us back|first=Randy|last=Shore|work=The Vancouver Sun|date=13 December 2008|page=F.1}}</ref> In addition to the many songs composed by The Beatles, Donovan composed "[[Jennifer Juniper]]" for his new girlfriend, Jenny Boyd.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=284}}

Starkey's wife had an aversion to insects:<ref name="HerethereandeverywhereTimep4">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article424674.ece?token=null&offset=36&page=4|title=Here, there and everywhere |date=20 March 2005 |page=4 |first=Mark |last=Edmonds |publisher=[[The Times]] |accessdate=17 August 2009| location=London}}</ref> spiders, mosquitoes, and the swarms of flies that were ever-present in the ashram.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=754-755}} Starr complained to the Maharishi about this, and was told: "for people travelling in the realm of pure conciousness, flies no longer matter very much". Starr replied with, "Yes, but that doesn't zap the flies, does it?"{{sfn|Shouler|Susai|2009|p=223}} The Starrs left India on 1 March, saying the unfamiliar food was not to their liking, and they were missing their children.<ref name=Spencer/>{{sfn|Cross|2004|p=176}} Starr later compared the ashram to "a kind of spiritual [[Butlins]]" [low-cost British holiday camp].{{sfn|Gregory|2007|p=198}} Their departure was per schedule by one account,{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|p=223}} but premature by others. McCartney and Asher departed in mid-March,{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|p=448}} as he needed to get back to London to supervise [[Apple Corps]], and she had a theatrical commitment.{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|p=259}} As he left, he told another student, "I'm a new man".{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|p=259}}

The visit was an especially reflective opportunity, as Harrison shared with Canadian visitor, Saltzman: "Like, we're The Beatles after all, aren't we?" said Harrison, "We have all the money you could ever dream of. We have all the fame you could ever wish for. But, it isn't love. It isn't health. It isn't peace inside, is it?"{{sfn|Greene|2008|p=93}}<ref>{{cite news |title='Their humour was one way they kept their feet on the ground' |first= Tara |last=Kilachand |date=17 May 2008 |newspaper=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |publisher=livemint.com |url=http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/16235821/8216Their-humour-was-one-wa.html?d=1 |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref>
Lennon and his wife, Cynthia, initially enjoyed the experience: "John, always passionate about a new cause, was evangelical in his enthusiasm for the Maharishi, talking about spreading the message to the world. I was a little more sceptical, but I enjoyed the meditation so I was happy to go to India. I hoped, too, that time out of the spotlight would be good for John and me."<ref name=Cynthia/> After two weeks Lennon asked to sleep in a separate room, saying he could only meditate when he was alone,{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=755}} but walked down to the local post office every morning to see if he had received a telegram from [[Yoko Ono]], who sent one almost daily.{{sfn|Boyd|Junor|2008|p=115}} One of her notes was, "Look up at the sky and when you see a cloud think of me".{{sfn|Tillery|2010|p=89}}

==Lennon and Harrison's departure==
Lennon and Harrison left abruptly in April, a few weeks after McCartney.{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|p=448}} The immediate statements by various Beatles stated that they were disillusioned by the Maharishi's desire for financial gain.<ref>{{cite news|title=Maharishi Yogi Turns Other Cheek to The Beatles' Slur|first=WAYNE|last=WARGA|work=Los Angeles Times|date=17 May 1968|page=D14}}</ref> Evans told Saltzman that the Maharishi wanted the band to donate to him 25% of their next album, to which Lennon replied, "Over my dead body".{{sfn|Kane|2005|p=60–61}} 

Several writers, including McCartney, have said that Lennon became convinced that the Maharishi, who said he was celibate,{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=467}} had made a pass at Farrow, or was having relations with other young female students.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=428}} Brown wrote that the Maharishi had smuggled chicken into the vegetarian ashram for a young blond nurse from California,{{sfn|Gaines|1995|p=195}} and that he later had a sexual relationship with her.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=288}} Mardas' account was that the female in question was an American teacher called Rosalyn Bonas, who told both Lennon and Mardas that the Maharishi had made "sexual advances" towards her, had offered her chicken to eat, and that she had been invited to the Maharishi's villa the following evening. Mardas: "John Lennon and I went to the Maharishi about what had happened ... He asked the Maharishi to explain himself". Mardas stated that he remembered the "exact words" the Maharishi used when answering: "I am only human".<ref name="StatementbyMardas"/> 

Some writers have blamed Mardas for spreading rumours to Lennon,{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=429}} which he has vigorously denied,<ref name="StatementbyMardas">{{cite web|url=http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/arts/Mardas.pdf |title=Statement by John Alexis Mardas|publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=February 2010 |accessdate=3 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/pageoneplus/corrections.html|title=Corrections|date=4 March 2010|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=8 May 2011}}</ref> although it seems Mardas was jealous about the control the Maharishi had over Lennon, as during one of their frequent walks through the woods he asked Lennon why the Maharishi always had an accountant by his side.<ref name=Spencer/> Lennon replied that the band (or Lennon and Harrison), were considering donating a part of their income to the Maharishi's bank accounts in Switzerland.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=755-756}} When Mardas questioned the Maharishi about this, he offered money to build a high-powered radio station,{{sfn|Ingham|2003|p=359}} so he could broadcast his teachings to the whole of India.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=261}} Aspinall was surprised that the Maharishi was a sophisticated negotiator, as he seemed to know more than the average person about percentages.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=195}}

Lennon, Harrison, and Mardas sat up all night discussing the matter and decided to leave the next morning, packing hurriedly.{{sfn|Greene|2008|p=97}} When the Maharishi asked why they were leaving, Lennon replied "If you're so cosmic, you'll know why".{{sfn|Cross|2004|p=177}} The group had trouble arranging taxis, reportedly because the Maharishi had told villagers not to help their departure. The group had to leave all of their souvenirs behind, and when the cars they finally obtained kept breaking down, they wondered if the Maharishi had cursed them.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=290}} The Harrisons were not ready to go back to England, and stayed in [[Delhi]] for a while.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|1984|p=290}} The Lennons caught the first flight back, during which Lennon recounted a drunken litany of his numerous infidelities to his wife.{{sfn|Cross|2004|p=177}} The departure and split with the Maharishi was well-publicised. McCartney called it a "public mistake".{{sfn|Kane|2005|p=60–61}} Lennon said on the ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|Tonight]]'' show, "We made a mistake. He's human like the rest of us".{{sfn|Greene|2008|p=97}} It would be the last time all four Beatles travelled abroad together.{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=468}}

Farrow also left the ashram and drifted around India for a time. Prudence stayed with the three-month programme and became an initiator, along with 40 other students.<ref>{{cite news|title=Beatles Fail Bid for Yoga Discipleship|work=Los Angeles Times|date=16 April 1968|page=C8}}</ref> Mike Love finished the programme and travelled with the Maharishi to [[Kashmir]] later in the year. The Beach Boys toured with the Maharishi in the U.S. soon after, but it was a financial failure.{{sfn|Gaines|1995|p=195}} Harrison, McCartney and Starr later made their peace with the Maharishi and praised him publicly. 
One of Farrow's childhood friends, Ned Wynn, wrote in his 1990 memoir that she had told him a few years later that the Maharishi had definitely made sexual passes at her.{{sfn|Wynn|1990|p=259}} In her 1993 autobiography, Cooke de Herrera wrote that Farrow had confided to her, long before the arrival of The Beatles, that the Maharishi had made a pass during a private [[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]] ceremony. Cooke de Herrera's opinion was that Farrow was probably mistaken about the encounter, and that Mardas was to blame for the trouble with Lennon.{{sfn|Cooke de Herrera|1992|pp=213–214}} Farrow's own memoirs, published in 1997, are ambiguous, simply reporting that her sister, Prudence, says she was confused about the matter.{{sfn|Farrow|1997|p=141}} [[Deepak Chopra]], who was not present but who later became a disciple of the Maharishi and a friend of Harrison's, says that the Maharishi was upset that all four Beatles were using drugs at the ashram.<ref>{{cite news |title=Maharish Mahesh Yogi, guru to The Beatles, dies |first=Ben |last=Rooney |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=6 February 2008 |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1577866/Maharishi-Mahesh-Yogi-guru-to-Beatles-dies.html |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="foxnews.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,328965,00.html|title=Beatles Meditation Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dies|agency=Associated Press|date=6 February 2008|publisher=foxnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Toronto Star|title=Beatles Guru Lived Life in Bliss|first=Mike |last=Corder|date=6 February 2008|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/1424465091.html?dids=1424465091:1424465091&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+06%2C+2008&author=Mike+Corder&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Beatles%27+guru+lived+life+%27in+bliss%27%3B+Maharishi+popularized+Transcendental+Meditation%2C+shot+to+fame+after+Fab+Four+visited+ashram+in+%2768&pqatl=google}}</ref> Lennon later called the Maharishi a "lecherous womaniser".<ref>{{cite news|title=TM disciples remain loyal despite controversies|first=Steve|last=Rabey|work=Colorado Springs Gazette - Telegraph|date=17 September 1994|page=E.2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=TIME 100:The Most Influential Asians of the Century: Gurus and Godmen|date=23 August 1999|volume=154|number=7/8}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Meditation chambers at the old Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, now in ruins, Muni Ki Reti.jpg|thumb|250px|right|alt=Small stone structures overgrown with jungle plants|link=Rishikesh|Meditation caves at the abandoned Academy of Meditation in Rishikesh, 2006]]

Philip Goldberg, an author of books on spiritual issues, wrote, in 2010, that The Beatles' trip to Rishikesh "may have been the most momentous spiritual retreat since Jesus spent those forty days in the wilderness".{{sfn|Goldberg|2010|p=7}} Saltzman photographed The Beatles at the ashram, and his photos have subsequently been displayed in galleries worldwide and been published in two books.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thebeatlesinindia.com/ |title=The Beatles in India |work=TheBealtesInIndia.com}}</ref> In 2003, former model [[Jerry Hall]] produced a series for the [[BBC]] titled "Gurus", which included interviews with TM initiates, Jagger and Cooke de Herrera, and a visit to the ashram in Rishikesh.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/08_august/21/bbcthree_art.pdf|title=Jerry Hall’s Gurus|date=8 August 2003|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref> Film director [[Mira Nair]] began work on a documentary film about The Beatles' visit to India;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/film/news/1788/mira-nair-q-a.html |title=Mira Nair Q&A |first=Ben |last=Walters |date=27 March 2007 |work=Time Out London |publisher=[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]] |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> however, no date for the film release has been announced.  

Due to tax issues, the Maharishi left India in the 1970s.<ref name =Turner/> The ashram, built on land belonging to the [[Rajaji National Park]], was reclaimed by the government in the mid-1990s after the lease expired in 1981,<ref name=Pioneer/> and fell into disrepair.<ref name =Turner/> In 2007, an American actress announced plans to renovate and convert the property into a home for the street children of New Delhi.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/1219oddbeatles.html |title=Beatles' ashram in Indian decaying |date=19 December 2007 |work=azcentral.com |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> In 2011, a plan was announced by the state government to build an [[sanatorium|Ayush Gram]] on the site.<ref name=Pioneer/>

Harrison gave a benefit concert for the Maharishi-associated [[Natural Law Party]] in 1992,<ref>{{cite news|title=Politics brings former Beatle back on stage in Britain|first=David|last=Israelson|work=Toronto Star|date=4 April 1992|page=A.3}}</ref> and later apologised for the way the Maharishi had been treated, by saying: "We were very young".{{sfn|Greene|2008|p=244}} McCartney took his daughter, Stella, to visit the Maharishi in the Netherlands,{{sfn|Harry|2002|p=99}} and is said to have renewed their friendship.<ref name=Spencer/> Harrison said "The Maharishi was fantastic and I admire him for being able, in spite of the ridicule, to keep on going". According to Starr, "I feel so blessed I met the Maharishi – he gave me a mantra that no one can take away, and I still use it".<ref name=Spencer/> After the Maharishi's death in 2008, McCartney said: "...[M]y memories of him will only be joyful ones. He was a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of the world and the cause of unity".<ref>{{cite news|agency=Reuters|title=Memorial pays tribute to Indian guru|first=Catherine |last=Hornby|date=6 February 2008|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL0720517520080207}}</ref> In 2009, McCartney, Starr, Donovan and Horn reunited at a concert held at New York's [[Radio City Music Hall]] to benefit the [[David Lynch Foundation]], which funds the teaching of Transcendental Meditation in schools.<ref>{{cite news|title=Just Say 'Om': The Fab Two Give a Little Help to a Cause|first=Jon|last=Pareles|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=6 April 2009|page=C.7}}</ref>

==Songs==
The Beatles wrote many songs during their visit to Rishikesh: 30 by one count,{{sfn|Goldman|1988|p=297}} and "48 songs in seven weeks" by others.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_martin-scorsese-films-harrison-s-tryst-with-indian-spirituality_1384278|work=Daily News & Analysis|title=Martin Scorsese films Harrison’s tryst with Indian spirituality|first= Uttara |last=Choudhury |date=17 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=When The Beatles turned to India|first=Bikas |last=Bhagat|accessdate=27 January 2011|url=http://spicezee.zeenews.com/beatles/story.aspx?id=67696|publisher=Zee News}}</ref> Lennon said: "We wrote about thirty new songs between us. Paul [McCartney] must have done about a dozen. George [Harrison] says he's got six, and I wrote fifteen".{{sfn|Anthology|2000|p=305}} Some of the songs became part of the album ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' (aka the ''White Album''), while other songs appeared on the albums ''[[Abbey Road]]'' and ''[[Let It Be]]''. Several of the songs contained Eastern musical influences.{{sfn|Miles|1997}}
[[File:TheBeatles68LP.jpg|thumb|right|alt=The plain white cover of The Beatles' White Album, with only their name and an eight-digit number|link=The Beatles (album)| Cover of The Beatles' eponymous album, also known as ''[[The Beatles (album)|The White Album]]''.]]
The songs known to be composed – either partially or completely – by The Beatles in India are:
*"[[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]"<ref name="Miles">[[Barry Miles]], as quoted by [[Richie Unterberger]] in the [http://www.richieunterberger.com/brautigan.html sleevenotes] to the eventual non-Apple release of ''Listening To Richard Brautigan''.</ref>
*"[[Blackbird (song)|Blackbird]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|pp=291–292}}
*"Child of Nature" (reworked as "[[Jealous Guy]]" for John Lennon's ''[[Imagine (album)|Imagine]]''){{sfn|Miles|1997|p=423}}
*"[[Cry Baby Cry]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|pp=296–297}}
*"[[Dear Prudence]]" (named after Prudence Farrow, who would not "come out and play"){{sfn|Harry|2000|pp=705-706}}
*"[[Don't Pass Me By]]"{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=397}}
*"[[Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|p=293}}
*"[[I Will (The Beatles song)|I Will]]"{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=420}}
*"[[I'm So Tired]]"{{sfn|Ryan|1982|p=161}}
*"[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]"{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=421}}
*"[[Junk (song)|Junk]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|pp=278–279}}
*"[[Mean Mr. Mustard]]"{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=421}}
*"[[Mother Nature's Son]]" (inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi){{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=423-490}}{{sfn|Sheff|Golson|1981|p=200}}
*"[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]"{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=419}}
*"[[Polythene Pam]]"{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=421}}
*"[[Revolution (song)|Revolution]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|pp=295–296}}
*"The Rishikesh Song" (also called "The Happy Rishikesh Song")<ref>{{cite news|title=Music; A New Lennon Mystery Tour|last=Kozinn|first=Allan|work=New York Times|date=20 March 1988|page=A.25}}</ref>
*"[[Rocky Raccoon]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|p=308}} (co-written with Donovan and inspired by [[Bob Dylan]]'s new album ''[[John Wesley Harding (album)|John Wesley Harding]]'', which they heard for the first time at Rishikesh){{sfn|Miles|1997}}
*"[[Sexy Sadie]]" (originally named "Maharishi" but changed to avoid libel)<ref>{{cite news |title=All you need is love and peace – but not in destructive Britain, so maharishi pulls out |first=Mark |last=Honigsbaum |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=15 August 2005 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/aug/15/health.healthandwellbeing}}</ref>
*"[[The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill]]" (inspired by the son of an American student who went tiger hunting){{sfn|Ryan|1982|p=161}}
*"[[What's the New Mary Jane]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|pp=308–309}}
*"[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]" (inspired by monkeys mating in the road)<ref name =Turner/>
*"[[Wild Honey Pie]]"{{sfn| MacDonald|2007|p=309}}
*"[[Yer Blues]]"{{sfn|Blaney|2005|p=40}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |author=Blaney, John |authorlink= |title=John Lennon: Listen To This Book |publisher=Paper Jukebox |year=2005 |isbn=978-0954452810 |ref={{SfnRef|Blaney|2005}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Boyd, Pattie |authorlink=Pattie Boyd |last2=Junor |first2=Penny |authorlink2=|title=[[Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me]] |publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]] (CA) |year=2008 |isbn=978-0307407832 |ref={{SfnRef|Boyd|Junor|2008}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Brown, Peter |authorlink=Peter Brown (music industry) |last2=Gaines |first2=Steven S. |authorlink2=Steven Gaines|title=The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles |publisher=[[New American Library|Signet]] |year=1984 |isbn=978-0451127976|ref={{SfnRef|Brown|Gaines|1984}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Cooke de Herrera, Nancy |authorlink=Nancy Cooke de Herrera |title=Beyond Gurus: A Woman of Many Worlds |publisher=Blue Dolphin |year=1992 |isbn=978-0931892493 |ref={{SfnRef|Cooke de Herrera|1992}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Cross, Craig |authorlink= |title=Beatles-discography.Com: Day-by-Day Song-by-Song Record-by-Record |publisher=iUniverse.com |year=2004 |isbn=978-0595314874 |ref={{SfnRef|Cross|2004}}}}
* {{cite book|title=What Falls Away|location=New York|publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)]]|year=1997|first=Mia|last=Farrow|isbn=978-0385404884|ref={{SfnRef|Farrow|1997}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Gaines, Steven S.|authorlink=Steven Gaines |title=Heroes and villains: the true story of the Beach Boys |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |year=1995 |isbn=978-0306806476 |ref={{SfnRef|Gaines|1995}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Goldberg, Philip |authorlink= |title=American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation How Indian Spirituality Has Shaped the West |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0385521345 |ref={{SfnRef|Goldberg|2010}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Goldman, Albert |authorlink=Albert Goldman |title=[[The Lives of John Lennon]] |publisher=[[William Morrow and Company]] |year=1988 |isbn=978-0688047214 |ref={{SfnRef|Goldman|1988}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Gould, Jonathan |authorlink= |title=Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America |publisher=[[Harmony Books]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0307353375 |ref={{SfnRef|Gould|2007}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Greene, Joshua M. |authorlink= |title=Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0470127803|ref={{SfnRef|Greene|2008}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Gregory, Chris |authorlink= |title=Who Could Ask for More?: Reclaiming the Beatles |publisher=the plotted plain press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0955751202 |ref={{SfnRef|Gregory|2007}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Harry, Bill |authorlink=Bill Harry |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0753504819 |ref={{SfnRef|Harry|2000}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Harry, Bill |authorlink=Bill Harry |title=The Paul McCartney encyclopedia |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0753507162 |ref={{SfnRef|Harry|2002}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Ingham, Chris |authorlink= |title=The rough guide to the Beatles |publisher=[[Rough Guides|Rough Guides Ltd]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-1843531401|ref={{SfnRef|Ingham|2003}}}}
*{{cite book|last=Kane|first=Larry|title=Lennon Revealed|date=30 March 2007|publisher=Running Press|isbn=9780762429660|ref={{SfnRef|Kane|2007}}}}
* {{cite book |author=MacDonald, Ian |authorlink=Ian MacDonald |title=[[Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties]] |publisher=[[Independent Publishers Group|Chicago Review Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-1556527333 |ref={{SfnRef|MacDonald|2007}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Miles |first=Barry |authorlink=Barry Miles |title=[[Many Years From Now]] |publisher=[[Random House]] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0749386580 |ref={{SfnRef|Miles|1997}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Miles |first=Barry |authorlink=Barry Miles |last2=Badman |first2=Keith |title=The Beatles Diary: After the Break-Up 1970-2001 |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0711983076|ref={{SfnRef|Miles|Badman|2001}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Mulligan |first=Kate Siobhan |title=The Beatles: A Musical Biography (Story of the Band) |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0313376863 |ref={{SfnRef|Mulligan|2010}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Ryan, David Stuart |authorlink= |title=John Lennon's Secret: A Biography |publisher=Kozmik Press |year=1982 |isbn=978-0905116082 |ref={{SfnRef|Ryan|1982}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Saltzman, Paul |authorlink=Paul Saltzman |title=The Beatles in Rīshikesh |publisher=[[Viking Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0670892617 |ref={{SfnRef|Saltzman|2001}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Sheff, David |authorlink= |last2=Golson |first2=Barry G. |authorlink2=|title=All we are saying: the last major interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |year=1981 |isbn=978-0312254643 |ref={{SfnRef|Sheff|Golson|1981}}}}
* {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Shouler |authorlink= |last2=Susai |first2=Anthony |authorlink2=|title= The Everything Hinduism Book |publisher=Adams Media Corporation |year=2009 |isbn=978-1598698626 |ref={{SfnRef|Shouler|Susai|2009}}}}
*{{cite book | author=Spitz, Bob |authorlink=Bob Spitz | title=The Beatles: The Biography | publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] ([[New York]])| year=2005 | isbn=1-84513-160-6|ref={{SfnRef|Spitz|2005}}}}
* {{cite book |author=The Beatles |authorlink=The Beatles |title=The Beatles Anthology |publisher=[[Chronicle Books]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0811826846|ref={{SfnRef|Anthology|2000}}}}
*{{cite DVD-notes |title=The Beatles Anthology |titlelink= |titleyear= |director=Geoff Wonfor|format=DVD |publisher=[[Apple Corps]] |location=All Regions |publisherid=B00006GEMA |year=31 March 2003|ref={{SfnRef|Anthology DVD|2003}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Tillery, Gary |authorlink= |title=The Cynical Idealist: A Spiritual Biography of John Lennon |publisher=Quest Books,U.S. |year=2010 |isbn=978-0835608756|ref={{SfnRef|Tillery|2010}}}}
* {{cite book|title=We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills|first=Ned|last=Wynn|publisher=[[William Morrow and Company]]|year=1990|isbn=978-0688085094|ref={{SfnRef|Wynn|1990}}}}

==External links==
*[http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050327/asp/look/story_4519992.asp    The Telegraph's (India) article on Saltzman]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiAhzpGO1Qk&feature=related Paul Saltzman's Beatles in India Interview on VVH-TV]
*[http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=45158 Film of The Beatles with Maharishi in Rishikesh]

{{The Beatles}}
{{Transcendental Meditation movement}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatles In Rishikesh, The}}
[[Category:History of The Beatles|Rishikesh]]
[[Category:Transcendental Meditation movement]]
[[Category:1968 in India]]

[[fr:Séjour des Beatles en Inde]]
[[it:Soggiorno dei Beatles in India]]