Revision 156728089 of "Benutzer:Joseph S. Ford/Die Beatles in Indien" on dewiki

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

'''[[The Beatles]] were in [[Rishikesh]]''', India, in 1968, to attend an advanced [[Transcendental Meditation]] (TM) training session at the [[ashram]] of [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. The trip came six months after The Beatles first met the Maharishi, in August, 1967. Their adoption of him as their guru attracted wide attention and is credited with changing attitudes in the West about Indian spirituality.

They arrived together 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''), ''[[Abbey Road]]'' and ''[[Let It Be]]''.

==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 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> At the suggestion of [[Pattie Boyd|Pattie Harrison]], [[George Harrison]]'s wife, they attended a lecture at the [[London Hilton on Park Lane|London Hilton]] on Park Lane, presented by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, on 24 August 1967.<ref name=BeatlesBible>{{cite web |url=http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/india/ |title=The Beatles and India |author=Joe |year=2010 |work=The Beatles Bible |accessdate=21 April 2010}}</ref><ref name=Boyd>{{cite book |title=[[Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me]] |first=Pattie |last=Boyd |authorlink=Pattie Boyd |year=2007 |publisher=[[Harmony Books]] |isbn=}}</ref> The Maharishi had announced his imminent retirement, so it was expected to be his last public lecture in the West.<ref name=Goldman>{{cite book |title=The Lives of John Lennon |first=Albert |last=Goldman |publisher=[[Independent Publishers Group|Chicago Review Press]] |year=1988 |isbn=1556523998}}</ref> The Beatles were given front row seats and were invited to meet the Maharishi afterwards.<ref name=Goldman/> During the ninety-minute meeting he invited them to be his guests at an upcoming training retreat.

The next day, the group went to a retreat at the campus of a teaching college in [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]], Wales, along with [[Mick Jagger]], [[Marianne Faithfull]], [[Cilla Black]] and around 300 others,<ref name=B&G>{{cite book |title=The Love You Make |first1=Peter |last1=Brown |first2=Steven |last2=Gaines |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=1983 |isbn=}}</ref> where they learnt the basics of trascendental 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> While there, they announced at a press conference that they were giving up drugs (apparently referring to [[psychedelic drugs|psychedelics]] but not [[marijuana]]).<ref name=Goldman/><ref name=B&G/><ref name=Gould>{{cite book|title=Can't Buy Me Love|first=Jonathan|last=Gould|publisher=Harmony Books|location=New York|year=2007|isbn=9780307353375}}</ref> The Maharishi told them privately to avoid involvement with the [[anti-nuclear movement|"Ban the bomb"]] movement and to support the elected government.<ref name=Felton/> Although meant to be a 10-day series of seminars, their stay was cut short by the death of their manager, [[Brian Epstein]], on 27 August.<ref name=BeatlesBible/><ref name=MacDonald>{{cite book|title=[[Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties]] |edition=3rd revised |first=Ian |last=MacDonald |year=2007 |publisher=[[Independent Publishers Group|Chicago Review Press]] |isbn=1-8441-3828-3}}</ref> The Maharishi helped ease their shock by convincing them that Epstein was still with them and that their good thoughts would help his journey.<ref name=Boyd/><ref name=B&G/> Their cheerful appearance was noted in the press.

Curious to learn more, the Beatles made plans to attend an 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> However, the Beatles postponed the trip due to their commitment with the [[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|''Magical Mystery Tour'' film]] and [[Magical Mystery Tour|soundtrack]].<ref name=BeatlesBible/> In the meantime, they often visited with the Maharishi in London.<ref name=B&G/> 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, and 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=New York Times}}</ref> After thousands of would-be meditators thronged the lobby, the Maharishi was not allowed to stay there again.<ref name=Haber>{{cite news|title=Meditating on a Tight Schedule|first=Joyce|last=Haber|authorlink=Joyce Haber|work=Los Angeles Times|date=7 May 1968|page=D19}}</ref>

The Beatles discovered that the Maharishi was negotiating with [[ABC Television]] in the US to create a TV special featuring them without their permission. Two trips by business manager [[Peter Brown (music industry)|Peter Brown]] to the Maharishi, who was lecturing in [[Malmö]], Sweden, including one with Harrison and McCartney, failed to get him to stop making promises that he could deliver the band for the show.<ref name=B&G/> Before leaving for India the band recorded the instrumental tracks for "[[Across the Universe]]", whose refrain, "Jai Guru Dev", was a standard greeting within the Maharishi's [[Spiritual Regeneration Movement]].<ref name=Gould/> Also, each of the Beatles and many of their entourage gave one week's salary to the Maharishi, the customary fee for TM initiation at the time.<ref name=Nossiter/>

==Arrival==
[[John Lennon]], his wife [[Cynthia Lennon|Cynthia]], George and Pattie Harrison, and Pattie's sister, [[Jenny Boyd]],<ref name=Boyd/> arrived in [[Delhi]] on 16 February, then took a {{convert|150|mi|km|adj=on}} taxi drive to Rishikesh. [[Paul McCartney]], his girlfriend [[Jane Asher]], [[Ringo Starr]] and his wife [[Maureen Starkey|Maureen]] arrived four days later.<ref name=BeatlesBible/> 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>{{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> [[Magic Alex|Alexis "Magic Alex" Mardas]], a friend of the Beatles, arrived four weeks later.<ref name=Boyd/> Road manager [[Mal Evans]] and business managers Peter Brown and [[Neil Aspinall]] were there for all or part of the time.<ref name=B&G/><ref name=Gould/> 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]], [[The Beach Boys|Beach Boy]] [[Mike Love]], [[jazz]] [[Flute|flutist]] [[Paul Horn (musician)|Paul Horn]], journalist [[Lewis H. Lapham]], filmmaker [[Paul Saltzman]], spiritual-seeker 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.<ref name=Boyd/><ref name=Lelyveld/> Despite speculation that she might attend, [[Shirley MacLaine]] did not appear.<ref name=Lefferts/>

==Facility==
Located in the holy "Valley of the Saints", the "International Academy of Meditation" 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=NCH/><ref name=Turner>{{cite news|title=The Fab Tour|first=STEVE|last=TURNER|work=Mail on Sunday|location=London (UK)|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]].<ref name=NCH>{{cite book|title=Beyond Gurus: A Woman of Many Worlds|first=Nancy Cooke|last= de Herrera|publisher=Blue Dolphin Publishing|year=1993|isbn=093189249}}</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 jet 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|lasat=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.<ref name=B&G/> The ashram was surrounded by barbed wire and the gates were kept locked and guarded.<ref name=Lelyveld/>

==Experience==
The routine at the ashram was relaxed. Meals were eaten in an open dining area, where the vegetarian meals, prepared by an English cook, were unwillingly shared with aggressive monkeys. The days were devoted to meditating and attending lectures by the Maharishi, who spoke from a flower-bedecked platform.<ref name=Boyd/> The Maharishi also gave private lessons to the Beatles, nominally due to their late arrival. The tranquil environment provided by the Maharishi – complete with meditation and relaxation, and away from the media throng – helped the band. While he kept the media away from his students, the Maharishi gave them frequent interviews.<ref name=Lelyveld/>
[[File:The Beatles at Rishikesh.jpg|250px|thumb|[[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]].]]
Though access to the Beatles was limited, the Maharishi did have all of his students line up for a class portrait. Nancy 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.<ref name=NCH/> One of the photographers who took a picture of the assembled group was Paul 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''.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher=Studio| isbn = 0670892610| last = Saltzman| first = Paul| title = Beatles in Rishikesh| date = 23 October 2000}}</ref> 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>

The Maharishi doted on his celebrity students.<ref name=NCH/> McCartney had been uncomfortable with the Maharishi's flattery, including calling the band "the blessed leaders of the world's youth".<ref name=Gould/> Harrison's 25th birthday was celebrated with cake and a display of fireworks.<ref name=B&G/> On another occasion, [[Kershi Cambata]], a patron of the Maharishis who owned an aviation company, flew two helicopters to Rishikesh to take the Maharishi and his guests for rides and for the publicity value.<ref name=NCH/> 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 Paul Horn "really wailed".<ref name=NCH/><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 played their guitars and [[sitar]]s.<ref name=NCH/> Donovan taught Lennon a guitar finger-picking technique that Lennon passed on to Harrison.<ref name=Boyd/> The technique was subsequently implemented on "[[Dear Prudence]]" and "[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]".<ref name=BeatlesBible/> The stay at the ashram turned out to be one of the group's most creative periods. Lennon later 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!"<ref name=Goldman/> Both Lennon and McCartney 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.<ref name=B&G/>

Like other students at the ashram, the Beatles adopted native dress, though they made it their own. The ashram had a tailor on the premises to make clothes for the students. The group started wearing loose Indian clothes. 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.<ref name=NCH/>

===Starr===
Ringo Starr compared the ashram to a [[Butlins|Butlins Holiday Camp]].<ref name=Goldman/> He and his wife, Maureen Starkey, had not been expected to come, but managed a ten-day or two-week visit, leaving about 1 March. Their departure was per schedule by one account,<ref name=NCH/> but premature by others. They missed their six-month old son. Starr had brought a suitcase full of tinned beans due to his delicate digestion, but they ran out quickly. Starkey had an aversion to flying insects, and the ashram had plenty. According to a friend of hers, she complained to the Maharishi about them in a private session. He told her not to be concerned, climbed on the table, and swatted them with the fringe of his [[dhoti]].
They both went home early. <ref>The Telegraph, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Spiritual Leader, Feb 7 2008, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maharishi-mahesh-yogi-spiritual-leader-who-introduced-millions-including-the-Beatles-to-transcendental-meditation-779109.html]</ref>

===McCartney===
McCartney and Asher departed in mid-March.<ref name=MacDonald/> He needed to get back to London to supervise [[Apple Corps]] and she had a theatrical commitment.<ref name=NCH/> As he left he told another student, "I'm a new man".<ref name=NCH/>

===Harrison===
The visit was an especially reflective opportunity, as Harrison shared with Canadian visitor, Paul 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?"<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===
[[File:JohnLennonpeace.jpg|thumb|alt=A 1969 photograph of John Lennon, a young Englishman with long dark brown hair and a beard, wearing wire-rimmed eyeglasses and wearing a white shirt, playing an acoustic guitar|link=John Lennon|[[John Lennon]], in 1969]]
John Lennon and his wife Cynthia loved 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," Cynthia told ''[[The Times]]''. "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/> They initially shared a four-poster bed, but after a week John requested separate quarters and began to ignore Cynthia. He received daily letters from [[Yoko Ono]].<ref name=Boyd/> One of her notes said "Look up at the sky and when you see a cloud think of me."<ref name=B&G/>

===Others===
Aspinall, head of Apple Corps, was kept busy negotiating an agreement for a movie to include the Beatles in a movie about the Maharishi. Aspinall was surprised to find that the holy man had an accountant and was a sophisticated negotiator.<ref name=B&G/> Another conflict concerned the Maharishi's wish that the Beatles pay him 10 to 25 percent of their income.<ref name=B&G/> However he did not charge them for staying at the ashram (other students were charged $400 for the full three-month session),<ref name=Nossiter/><ref name=Lelyveld/> or for many expenses they incurred.<ref name=NCH/>

Some of the negotiations concerned a movie that was to be about either the Maharishi or his own guru. Paul Horn put the deal together with [[Four Star Films]].<ref name=Feather/> John Farrow was to direct. They were planning to film at the ashram, and at [[Kashmir]], where the Maharishi planned to go when Rishikesh got too hot in the summer.

==Lennon and Harrison departure==
Lennon and Harrison left abruptly in April, a few weeks after McCartney.<ref name=MacDonald/> The cause for their sudden departure has various explanations. The immediate statements by the Beatles said 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>

Several writers have said that Lennon became convinced that the Maharishi, who said he was celibate,<ref name=Gould/> had made a pass at Mia Farrow or was having relations with other young female students. 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> Peter Brown writes that the Maharishi had smuggled chicken into the vegetarian ashram for a young blond nurse from California, and that he later began to have sex with her.<ref name=B&G/> A few writers have blamed Beatles' friend, Alex Mardas (known as [[Magic Alex]]), for telling false rumours to Lennon, which he has denied,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/pageoneplus/corrections.html|title=Corrections|date=4 March 2010|work=New York Times|accessdate=22 April 2010}}</ref> although Mardas was jealous about the control the Maharishi had over Lennon, and during one of their frequent walks through the woods he asked Lennon why the Maharishi always had an accountant by his side.<ref name="MaharishiMaheshYogiSpiritualLeaderTheIndependent">{{cite web |first= |last= |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maharishi-mahesh-yogi-spiritual-leader-who-introduced-millions-including-the-beatles-to-transcendental-meditation-779109.html |title=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Spiritual leader who introduced millions, including the Beatles, to transcendental meditation |publisher=[[The Independent]] |date=2008-02-07 |accessdate=2008-08-08}}</ref> Lennon replied that The Beatles (or Lennon and Harrison) were considering donating a large part of their income to the Maharishi's bank accounts in Switzerland.<ref name="Spitzp755-756">Spitz (2005) pp. 755–756</ref> When Mardas questioned the Maharishi about this, he offered money to Mardas to build a high-powered radio station, so he could broadcast his teachings to the whole of India.<ref name="TheLoveYouMakep261">Brown, Peter and Gaines, Steven S. (1983) p261</ref>

Lennon, Harrison, and Mardas sat up all night discussing the matter and decided to leave the next morning. They packed hurriedly. When the Maharishi asked why they were leaving, Lennon replied "You're the cosmic one, you should know."<ref name=B&G/> 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.<ref name=B&G/> The Harrisons were not ready to go back to England, and stayed in [[Delhi]] for a while.<ref name=B&G/> The Lennons caught the first flight back, during which John recounted to his crying wife a drunken litany of his numerous infidelities<ref name=B&G/> (their marriage ended soon after). The departure and split with the Maharishi was well-publicised. Lennon announced to the press, "We made a mistake. What could be more simple?"<ref name=Goldman/> It was the last time the four Beatles travelled together outside of England.<ref name=Gould/>

Mia 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. Harrison, McCartney and Starr later made their peace with the Maharishi and praised him publicly.
One of Mia Farrow's childhood friends, Ned Wynn, writes in his 1990 memoir that she had told him a few years later that the Maharishi had definitely made sexual passes at her.<ref>{{cite book|title=We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills|first=Ned|last=Wynn|publisher=William Morrow and Company|year=1990|page=259}}</ref> In her 1993 autobiography, Nancy Cooke de Herrera says 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. De Herrera gives her opinion that Farrow was probably mistaken about the encounter, and also that Mardas was to blame for the trouble with Lennon.<ref name=NCH/> Farrow's own memoirs, published in 1997, are ambiguous, simply reporting that her sister, Prudence, says she was confused about the matter.<ref>{{cite book|title=What Falls Away|location=New York|publisher=Doubleday|year=1997|first=Mia|last=Farrow}}</ref> [[Deepak Chopra]], who was not present but who later became a disciple of the Maharishi and a friend of George Harrison, says that the Maharishi was upset that the Beatles were using drugs at the ashram.<ref>{{cite news |title=Maharish Mahesh Yogi, guru to 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">[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,328965,00.html] Beatles Meditation Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dies, AP, 6 Feb 2005</ref><ref>Toronto Star, Beatles Guru Lived Life in Bliss, Mike Corder, 6 Feb 2008 [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>

==Legacy==
[[File:Meditation chambers at the old Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, now in ruins, Muni Ki Reti.jpg|thumb|alt=A photograph of meditation chambers, which are small domes built of small stones, with plants growing out of the cracks and surrounded by thick jungle.|link=|Meditation caves at the abandoned Academy of Meditation in Rishikesh, 2006]]
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 her ex-boyfriend and TM initiate [[Mick Jagger]] and Nancy 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 or 2001 and has fallen into disrepair.<ref name =Turner/> In 2007, an American actress announced plans to renovate and convert the property into a home for street children from 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>

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=April 4, 1992|page=A.3}}</ref> McCartney visited the Maharishi in the Netherlands and is said to have renewed their friendship.<ref name="TheIndependent"/> 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="TheIndependent"> The Independent, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Spiritual Leader, Feb 7 2008, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maharishi-mahesh-yogi-spiritual-leader-who-introduced-millions-including-the-Beatles-to-transcendental-meditation-779109.html]</ref> 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> Reuters, Memorial pays tribute to Indian guru, Catherine Hornby, Feb 6 2008 [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=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;<ref name=Goldman/> and "48 songs in seven weeks" by others.<ref>[http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_martin-scorsese-films-harrison-s-tryst-with-indian-spirituality_1384278] DNA the world, Choudray, Martin Scocesse Films Harrison's Tryst with Indian Spirituality, 17 May 2010</ref><ref>50 Years of the Beatles, When the Beatles turned to India, Bikas Bhagat, Aug 9 2010 [http://spicezee.zeenews.com/beatles/story.aspx?id=67696]</ref> 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.<ref name=Miles>{{cite book |title=[[Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now]] |first=Barry |last=Miles |authorlink=Barry Miles |year=1997 |publisher=Henry Holt and Company|isbn=0805052496}}</ref>

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]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"Child of Nature" (reworked as "[[Jealous Guy]]" for John Lennon's ''[[Imagine (album)|Imagine]]'')<ref name=MacDonald/><ref name=Miles/>
*"[[Cry Baby Cry]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[Dear Prudence]]" (named after Prudence Farrow, who would not "come out and play")<ref name=MacDonald/><ref>{{cite book |title=The Beatles Encyclopedia |first=Bill |last=Harry |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7535-0481-9 |pages=705–706}}</ref>
*"[[Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[I Will (The Beatles song)|I Will]]"<ref name=Miles/>
*"[[I'm So Tired]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]"<ref name=Miles/>
*"[[Junk (song)|Junk]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[Mean Mr. Mustard]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[Mother Nature's Son]]" (inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi)<ref name=MacDonald/><ref>Miles (1997), pp. 423, 490.</ref><ref>Sheff (2000), p. 200.</ref>
*"[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]"<ref name=Miles/>
*"[[Polythene Pam]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[Revolution (song)|Revolution]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"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]]"<ref name=MacDonald/> (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)<ref name=Gould/><ref name=Miles/>
*"[[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>
*"[[Something]]"<ref name=Boyd/>
*"[[The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill]]" (inspired by the son of an American student who went tiger hunting)<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[What's the New Mary Jane]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]" (inspired by monkeys mating in the road)<ref name =Turner/>
*"[[Wild Honey Pie]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>
*"[[Yer Blues]]"<ref name=MacDonald/>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
* {{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}}
*{{cite book | author=Spitz, Bob | title=The Beatles: The Biography | publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] ([[New York]])| year=2005 | isbn=1-84513-160-6}}

==External links==
*[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}}
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[[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]]