Gujarat architecture firm to spruce up Beatles ashram in Rishikesh

Ahmedabad: The iconic Chaurasi Kutiya (84 huts) Ashram, where the British band 'The Beatles' practised yoga, wrote and composed songs, in Rishikesh, is set to be renovated by a Gujarat-based architecture firm.

The Beatles' fab four, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, stayed at the ashram inside Rajaji National Park near Rishikesh town in 1968.

The Uttarakhand government has awarded HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd to renovate the ashram, originally established by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1961 on 7.5 hectares of forest land as a meditation centre.

HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd has its head office in Ahmedabad city.

Notably, the firm led by architect Bimal Patel has undertaken some big-ticket projects in the recent past, including the Central Vista, the new parliament complex and the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.

The firm is presently working on the redevelopment of Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad city.

The Chaurasi Kutiya Ashram gained popularity after the British band spent nearly three months practising yoga and meditation at the facility in 1968. The band's stay was said to be the most productive period for their songwriting, and they penned more than 30 songs.

Anand Patel, project head at the firm, said the renovation, with an estimated cost of Rs 90 crore, would commence by the end of 2024 and may take a year and a half to be completed.

Talking to PTI, Patel said, "This is a Uttarakhand government project. As far as we know, the Centre came up with this idea of redevelopment after several foreign delegates who attended a G20 meeting in Rishikesh last year inquired about this place and expressed their desire to visit it. The Centre then requested the Uttarakhand government to see if it can be developed." As the ashram is inside a forest, it will remain a "low-impact tourism spot" with minimal noise or other activities that can adversely impact the environment, he said.

The place is sought after by foreign and Indian tourists, mainly because of its connection with The Beatles, he said.

"The place is over 50 years old, and we will be repairing it without changing its original character so that visitors get an idea about its original form," Patel said.

He said the renovation will be done in such a way that tourists get an idea about its key features and characters through exhibitions on The Beatles, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, ecology, yoga and music.

"Of nearly 25 small and medium structures which are part of the Ashram, we will renovate 12 and leave the other 13 as they are so that people get an idea about how it looked when it was established over five decades ago," Patel said.