A cafeteria, a “satvik” kitchen, a tea pavilion, a venue for unplugged music, an exhibition on The Beatles in India, and a souvenir shop – these are some of the proposed upgrades to the Chaurasi Kutiya Swargashram, popularly known as The Beatles Ashram, situated inside the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh, The Indian Express has learnt. The consultancy firm HCP Design, Planning, and Management Private Limited, which was also behind the architecture of the Central Vista and the Kashi Vishwanath corridor project, is learnt to have submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the Uttarakhand government along with a final master plan report. These proposals feature in these documents, which the government will look into before the tender is floated for execution. While the Tourism Department bears the consultancy cost, the Forest Department will execute the project as the ashram is situated in the tiger reserve. The Indian Express first reported about the plan to revamp the ashram in October last year. The British band members George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and John Lennon visited the ashram, at the time the home to Mahesh Yogi, in 1968. Chaurasi Kutiya gets its name from the 84 meditation rooms – 42 on either side of a yoga centre. The complex has nearly 25 buildings, of which 12 will be revamped in the upcoming project. With a budget of Rs 84 crore, the conceptual estimate by the consultant has a detailed proposal of retrofitting, repairing, and rebuilding several structures, and the demolition of the iconic Printing Press. Constructed in the early 1960s, this press was used to print literature on “transcendental meditation”. The Science of Being and the Art of Living and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s commentary on the first six chapters of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita were printed in this building. This dilapidated building, now overrun by vegetation and plants, has been recommended to be turned into a souvenir shop. If executed, the concrete steel, roofing, doors, and windows will be demolished to accommodate the new structure. The other proposal at the Ashram, where the band composed White Album, which includes Dear Prudence and Blackbird, is to turn the Ved Bhawan into a venue for unplugged music. Constructed in 1976, this building was used as a lecture hall and is currently a popular location inside the campus because of the famous graffiti of The Beatles. The structure has corrosion, cracks between the masonry wall and reinforced concrete column, algae growth in walls and columns and spalling of concrete. Currently, visitors cannot enter the complex with musical instruments. The Vedic Kitchen, where the band dined, will be a satvik kitchen and cafeteria. Anand Bhawan and Sidhi Bhawan, constructed in 1976 and used as residential accommodation for participants learning “transcendental meditation”, which also wears a dilapidated look, will now be a space for wall art and installations. The arched facade will be retained and will have glass doors, windows, partitions, and terrazzo flooring. The two structures are being revamped at Rs 8 crore each. The Saptpuri Complex or Bungalow number 9, The Beatles Residence, which was constructed in the early 1960s and also housed Mike Love, Donovan and the Farrow sisters along with other international guests, is proposed to be repaired to host an exhibition of the band and their time in India. The bungalows allotted to the Beatles were equipped with electric heaters, running water, toilets, and English-style furniture. The Chaurasi Kutiya hall and huts, which lend the name to the whole complex, will be used for meditation and yoga if approved by the PWD and forest department. According to the master plan, the structure was built from local river rock and each chamber represents a different classic yoga asana (posture). “There were supposed to be igloo-like stone huts that sought to replicate the mountain caves used by Hindu monks to meditate in isolation. Dark and airless, these caves were specially designed for the long, hot Indian summers as they were insulated from the bright sunlight and scorching winds outside,” said states the building description in the master plan. The Maharshi’s residence, adjacent to the structures, will host an exhibition of yoga and meditation. Meanwhile, as per the proposal for the kutirs (huts), 20 of 123 will be fashioned into meditation huts through retrofitting by strengthening the reinforced concrete beam and slab using a polymer-modified mortar and new reinforcing bars. With the influx of tourists, two buildings have been identified to be repurposed as toilet blocks. A new structure for ticketing and control centre will also be built. Apart from these, an elevator will be built to make the complex accessible to people with disabilities. Approach pathways, lighting, river stone pathways and benches have been estimated to cost Rs 6.59 crore. A parking area will also likely come up in the complex. The ashram was officially opened to the public in 2015. Since then, the number of visitors has increased. Between December 2015 and March 2023, the ashram recorded 2.28 lakh Indian visitors and 20,573 foreign visitors. However, between April 2023 and September 2023, 56,224 Indian and 4,091 foreign visitors came to the complex. The tourism department officials said they have handed over the file to the PWD and Forest Departments, who will vet the reports for execution.
