The Beatles Ashram in India

The ashram where The Beatles learned Transcendental Meditation by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is closed, but fans find ways to enter and pay respects. // © 2014 Mindy Poder

The ashram is located north of the city center of Rishikesh in the foothills of the Himalayas. // © 2014 Thinkstock

The buildings of the ashram are not being preserved by the government. // © 2014 Mindy Poder

The author meditates inside one of the 84 huts for which the ashram is known for among locals. // © 2014 Mindy Poder

Two Beatles songs written while here take inspiration from the area’s monkeys: “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” and “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.”

A group of guerilla artists transformed the former meditation hall into a gallery of Beatles-related paintings and lyrics. // © 2014 Mindy Poder

Artist Pan Trinity Das and a group of volunteers completed the project in two weeks by sneaking in and paying entrance bribes. // © 2014 Mindy Poder