Nestling in a remote outcrop, near the banks of the Ganga, lies an almost derelict complex well past its prime. The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram was built in 1963, funded by a $100,000 donation from American heiress Doris Duke. The ashram is in a remote corner of Rishikesh, some 500m from the tourist spot of Lakshman Jhoola. It is spread over 14 acres of forested land, and the premises once consisted of meditation cells, a lecture hall, and a number of bungalows. The yogi shot into fame after The Beatles patronised him for a while. The Fab Four met him for the first time in August 1967 in Wales where the guru was speaking on meditation.

In February 1968, The Beatles visited the Ashram. As for their immersion into the Western notion of a spiritual India, the stay there did prove to be their most productive (with approximately 48 songs to show for it). On a personal level, however, their experiences were plagued with maligned allegations, with John Lennon saying: “We believe in meditation, but not the Maharishi and his scene... We thought he was something other than he was.”

In 2003, the forestry department in Uttarakhand formally took charge of the site and repurposed it as a tourist attraction. The complex has been renovated, but these images were taken before it was whitewashed and thrown open to tourists in 2015. The photographs record over four decades of reclamation just as much by nature as by numerous artists commemorating its claim to fame.

Chirantan Khastgir is a mixed media artist based in Delhi

Let it be: The walls of the entrance to the main meditation hall were like a walk-through of The Beatles’ music

Something: A free-standing stone structure erected by a visitor

Hello, goodbye: The Beatles cut short their intended three-month stay at the Ashram amid allegations of misconduct against the Maharishi

Help: In 2003, the forestry department in Uttarakhand took charge of the derelict complex

Magical mystery tour: The Maharishi Ashram was spread over 14 acres of forested land

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Yesterday: Several hut-like structures were scattered across the outer periphery of the ashram complex before it was turned into a tourist attraction
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