The Maharishi, a contemporary of Osho, born in the same city and locality as the latter, passed away in Vlodrop in the Netherlands today. According to a spokesperson of the Transcendental Meditation Movement, set up by the Yogi, he died a natural death. He was 91.

Students and other members at the ashram, whom the Yogi would address through satellite television every morning during yoga classes, stopped work and held a “shoksabha” to remember him.

Born into a Kayasth family of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh on January 12, 1917, the Yogi went on to study at Jabalpur University. He did his MA in Philosophy and topped the university, going on to become one of the youngest professors there.

Interested in Yog and science at the same time, he studied in the US from 1958 to 1966 and carried out extensive research on Yog. His work on it was published in a science journal in 1970 and he went on to become one of the most well known faces of yoga.

He was also instrumental in taking ayurveda to the world. He ran a world awareness programme on it and opened more than 350 schools in the country and many more all over the world.

Anand Srivastava, head of the Maharishi Vidya Peetha, which runs all schools in the country, said, “His contributions are priceless. He was the only one who took our ancient sciences to a level of distinction and recognition all over the world.”

A programme on the life and times of the Yogi was also held at the ashram.