ALLAHABAD (AFP) - The body of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a one-time spiritual advisor to the Beatles who died this past week in the Netherlands, arrived Saturday in northern Indian for last rites.
Yogi, who died Tuesday in his home in the Dutch village of Vlodrop where he had been living since 1990, will be cremated early Monday, an activist of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) told AFP in New Delhi.
He said Maharishis body was flown to Varanasi before being taken by road to the pilgrimage centre of Allahabad, situated on the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, considered sacred by devout Hindus.
In Allahabad, people lined the streets as the motorcade drove past, reports said.
Yogi was born in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh but said he did not know his date of birth. He credited his achievements to his teacher Guru Dev, who taught him in the Himalayas in the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1958, Yogi presented his Transcendental Meditation movement, which attracted a huge following. It went on to become a powerful money-making machine, selling books, CDs and courses.
In the 1960s, he attracted many followers, including the Beatles, who meditated with him in India in 1968.
But the Beatles and the guru had a falling out during their visit for various reasons. Ringo Starr reportedly objected to the vegetarian diet, while John Lennon felt that Yogis claim to celibacy was a lie.
Other celebrity visitors to his ashram in Rishikesh, which is now in ruins, included Shirley MacLaine and Mia Farrow.
According to TM followers, mass meditation sessions can generate positive powers that can end negative processes such as war and violence.
In 1990, the Maharishi moved to the Netherlands to take up residency in a former convent. From his worldwide headquarters the guru and his followers provided 24-hour television broadcasts and weekly news conferences.
In the last few years of his life the Maharishi did not appear in public and communicated via a television link-up.
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