Visited the "Beatles Ashram" 2 days ago. On the initiative of George Harrison, the Beatles (together with their wives and a busload of friends and assistants) as well as other icons of popular culture such as Mick Jagger, Mia Farrow, Marianne Faithfull, Donovan, Mike Love of the Beach Boys e.a., arrived at the Ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1918-2008) in February 1968 to attend an advanced Transcendental Meditation session. The guru established this Ashram in 1961 on 7.5 hectares of forest land. It was reclaimed by the government in the mid-90s and fell into disrepair. Its ruins are now part of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. There are many rumours, anecdotes and contradictory stories concerning the Beatles' stay in Rishikesh. Too many to give a proper account here. Fact is: their time in the Ashram was a very productive one. Most of the songs for the White Album were written here and also a few for Abbey Road. Tourists pay 600 Rupees (some 8€) entrance fee. But it's worth it. Many interesting graffitis can be discovered on the walls in- and outside of the dilapidated buildings.