Harrison's Ashes Arrive For Immersion In The Ganga

12-02-2001, 05:19 PM

Harrison's Ashes Arrive For Immersion In The Ganga
FROM THE HINDUSTAN TIMES
LONDON, ENGLAND, Dec 3 (VNN) — by Vijay Dutt
George Harrison's widow Olivia and his 24-year-old son Dhani secretly
flew to India to immerse the former Beatle's ashes in the Ganga at
Dashaswamedh ghat of Varanasi. They flew from London in a private jet
along with some devotees of the Hare Krishna sect. Sources told the
Hindustan Times that his ashes were to be scattered at the sangam in
Allahabad as well.

A former devotee of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and a Krishna-devotee till
his death, Harrison had visited Varanasi for a dip in the Ganga three
months ago when he realised that his end was not too far.

A report says, He decided to make a secret pilgrimage to his
spiritual 'birth place' to prepare for death.

Pale, thin and losing his hair, Harrison returned to Benares, where
he discovered eastern mysticism in the 1960s, to bathe in the sacred
waters and pray in the temples. Harrison used a pseudonym and no one
was aware of his visit till he left.

At the Bhaktivedanta Manor Krishna temple near Watford, an hour's
drive from London, a sombre atmosphere prevailed.

It was Harrison who donated his manor on a multi-million pound
complex to the Hare Krishna movement and kept close contact with
ISCKON over the years. The temple will hold a special prayer service
on December 5.

The Indian community here has been touched by the fact that two
senior members from the Hare Krishna sect performed the former
Beatle's last rites. The body, clothed in dhoti and kurta, was
cremated amid Hare Krishna chants. He was more Hindu than many of us,
said some students in Southall.

Fans lined up at shops to buy his records. The demand was so great
that sales zoomed by 200 per cent, according to the manager of the
biggest HMV shop in Oxford Street. Harrison's first solo album, All
Things Must Pass, was in much demand.

Harrison had left behind a musical legacy in the shape of an album he
worked on during the last months of his life. He planned to call the
CD of 25 tracks, some old and some new songs, Portrait of a Leg End -
a pun on his celebrity status and a reference to the squashing foot
graphic in the Monty Python television series.