Amsterdam - Indian spiritual leader Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Mediation (TM) Movement, has died in Vlodrop, a village in the southern Netherlands, news reports said Wednesday. The Maharishi, who was thought to be 91, died Tuesday afternoon, among his disciples. The man who founded the movement in 1957 had been living in Vlodrop since 1990.
Vlodrop is also the location of the headquarters of the TM Movement. About 500 of Maharishi's followers live in the village, where a small "university" of the movement is located.
The Maharishi and his brand of meditation became popular in the 1960s, particularly when the Beatles became interested in his teachings.
The Maharishi's body is to be taken to India, where a traditional ceremony is due to take place, a spokeswoman for the TM Movement said, adding that she could not give more details yet.
The Maharishi formally stepped down as a leader of the movement on January 28, and the TM Movement reorganized. The new leader, Maharaja Nader Raam, is currently assisted by 13 ministers and 27 so-called rajas, who are responsible for several countries.
The Maharishi was born in Jabalpur, India, as Mahesh Prasad Varma, according to some sources, and Mahesh Srivastava, according to others. His date of birth is also uncertain and estimated at between 1911 and 1918.
