 Located in the holy " Valley of the Saints " , the International Academy of Meditation , also called the <unk> <unk> ashram , was a 14 @-@ acre ( 57 @,@ 000 m2 ) compound . It stood across the River Ganges from Rishikesh , the " yoga capital of the world " and home to many ashrams in the foothills of the Himalayas , 150 feet ( 46 m ) above the river and surrounded by jungle . The Maharishi 's facility was built in 1963 with a $ 100 @,@ 000 gift from American heiress Doris Duke , on land leased from the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department . The training centre was designed to suit Western habits and was described variously as " luxurious " and " seedy " . Starr later compared the ashram to " a kind of spiritual Butlins " ( a low @-@ cost British holiday camp ) . It was built to accommodate several dozen people and each of its stone bungalows contained five rooms . Each was equipped with electric heaters , running water , toilets , and English @-@ style furniture . According to <unk> , the Maharishi obtained many " special items " from a nearby village so that the Beatles rooms would have mirrors , wall @-@ to @-@ wall carpeting , wall coverings , " foam mattresses " and bedspreads . She wrote that " by the standard of the other " bungalows , the Beatles ' cottages " looked like a palace " . 
