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Ganges 'to receive Harrison's ashes'

 

 

 

George Harrison's family plan to add the ashes of the former Beatle to the

sacred River Ganges in India following a private ceremony, a spokesman for

the Hare Krishna movement has said.

According to the tenets of Hare Krishna, the Hindu sect to which the

guitarist adhered, the movement of the ashes in the river is symbolic of the

soul's journey towards eternal consciousness.

 

Mahamantra Das, New Delhi spokesman for the International Society of Krishna

Consciousness, said some of Harrison's ashes would be left at two other holy

sites, in Allahabad and Brindavan, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

 

Das said the event was likely to coincide with the one-minute meditation in

memory of Harrison requested by his family, at 1.30pm Pacific Standard Time

(2130 GMT).

 

 

'George's journey'

 

Harrison's widow, Olivia and son, Dhani, wished to make the visit to India

and the ceremony, at the holy city of Varanasi very private, he said,

adding: "They don't want disclose to their identities."

 

Hare Krishna members around the world had been praying for the musician's

soul, he said. "Harrison was our dear devotee."

 

 

 

Olivia and Dhani invite you to join them in a minute of meditation in honour

of George's journey

 

Gavin de Becker, family friend

 

In a statement, family friend Gavin de Becker, said Olivia and Dhani were

"deeply touched by the outpouring of love and compassion from people around

the world".

 

"The profound beauty of the moment of George's passing - of his awakening

from this dream - was no surprise to those of us who knew how he longed to

be with God.

 

"In that pursuit, he was relentless.

 

"Olivia and Dhani invite you to join them in a minute of meditation in

honour of George's journey, wherever you are on Monday," Mr de Becker added.