Rishikesh and Beatles - a journey of spirituality, meditation and history

Rishikesh and Beatles - a journey of spirituality, meditation and history

1/15/2018 01:10:00 AM
For a traveler every journey is unique. You go with empty hand and come back with a lot of memories. That is the beauty of travel. You go to Himalayas, come back with wonderful memories and beautiful stories of adventure and friendship. You go to Hampi and comes back with a lot of history and imagination. You go to Ajanta and Ellora and comes back with a beautiful dream. You goes to Bhutan and comes back with a romantic journey. One such beautiful journey was Uttarakhand.


I have never went solo for 16 days. This was my second solo experience outside Karnataka but most memorable one. For 8-9 days I was with YHAI and then went in search of  peace in Haridwar, Dehradun, Mussoorie and Delhi. I did miss two of my partners Guru and Vineeth. But this was a different experience.   

I reached Rishikesh base camp 1 day before the trek and I was accommodated in the batch which was supposed to go to trek next day. That means I got an extra day for exploration.


Rishikesh base camp

Our stay was arranged in Sindhi Dharmashala. This was my second trek with YHAI. As usual I used to compare food, camp leader with the previous trek I did with YHAI. I missed the tents here. Food was good in the base camp. I made friendship with many wonderful people. That was the highlight of our trek. 

On first day I got a glimpse of the Ganga Arati at Triveni ghat in the evening. It was 5 min walk from our stay. That is the first thing you have to do in Rishikesh.



That was the time to know my fellow trekkers. In above pic  you can find my buddies from Andhra and Telangana. Even today we are in touch and discuss about our adventures and plans.

After the trek we stayed in Rishikesh to explore more. I visited the Beatles ashram just because I am a little fan of Beatles music. Beatles is one of the very few western music I have listened. Otherwise I follow melodious Indian light music.


Let me take you to the journey of Beatles Ashram. You will find it hard to search this place. Because this is at one corner of Rishikesh in Rajaji National Park. It's actual name is Maharshi Mahesh Yogi Ashram. Since Beatles stayed here , it is famous as Beatles Ashram. The entry fee was 150 Rs. The huts in the above pic are the places where the team of Beatles stayed.


 Though it is a nice place to visit, I was really disappointed with the maintenance of this place. Except the paintings on the wall of Beatles Cathedral, nothing is in good shape. Even Beatles had no good opinion about this place after they left. They came here to meditate. They were expecting some magic which didn't happen. But it surely has given an experience which made them to come up with their best. If you have time just go through the lyrics what they have written. That is having a beautiful meaning.

Still if you have no idea about Beatles, you can go through some of their work in youtube. They are the rock band of 60's. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr together are known as Beatles. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8OY2MKVhpY



Though the place was not maintained properly, it was one of the place of art and meditation. I felt the art inside the Beatles cathedral speaking the language of their music.






I spent more time in Beatles ashram than any other place in Hrishikesh. Then there was Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula and many ashrams.

Laxman Jhula 


There is a mythological connection to this iron suspension bridge. This is the place where Lord Laxman crossed the Ganga river with rope. The old bridge was washed away by flood and new bridge is built. It connects two villages from two different districts. The best part of this bridge is there is a Laxman Jhula market on one point of the bridge, where you get the different varieties of handicrafts, rudraksh and other materials.

Ram Jhula


Like Laxman Jhula this is also one of the attraction of Rishikesh. The bridges have become part of their life since it connects the people and tourists to different shades of Rishikesh. One side of ram jhula is Swarg ashram which is place for many ashrams. Major tourists here come for Ganga arati. Next major attraction is Yoga and meditation. There are plenty of ashrams here. We (my Valley of flowers trek mates) gave a visit to Yoganiketan Ashram also. Though I am not a religious person, but I seek to get knowledge from all the corners. Yoga has been part of my life and I really wanted to visit these ashrams. So Rishikesh is a must visit place for the people who want to experience spirituality , meditation and to know the wonderful mythology and history.

What I missed ?
  • Truth is for a traveller like me priority is Bungee jump and River rafting. I missed both of them because in monsoon period it will be closed. 
  • Ganga arathi at Paramarthiketan ashram
  • Mukesh Dhiman's Jungle Vibes where Mukesh Sir creates a wonderful Didgeridoo and other Australian musical instruments. I have read a lot about him but couldn't visit the place.
  • Triambakeshwar temple from where you can have a top view of Ganges and surrounding Himalayas
  • Kunjapuri sunrise trek and neer garh water fall
  • Trek to Neelakant mahadev temple
  • Some Yoga lessons and meditation
  • the office cafe 


The Beatles has given Rishikesh the name yoga capital of world, but it is more than that. It is center for many adventurous activities and musical experiences. If you want to be part of such experiences plan for Rishikesh. You won't be disappointed. 
Next
« Prev Post
Previous
Next Post »
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)