The family of George Harrison are due to arrive in Varanasi this morning to sprinkle the ashes of the former Beatle on the sacred River Ganges.
It is understood that Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, will arrive in India by private jet. A spokesman for the Hare Krishna movement, the Hindu sect to which the guitarist belonged, said the ceremony at the Radhe Krishna Temple would be a strictly family one.
The passage of mortal remains in the Ganges is regarded by Hindus as symbolic of the soul's journey to eternal consciousness. Harrison was a longtime devotee of the Hare Krishna movement and composed one of his best-known songs, My Sweet Lord, in honour of Krishna - one of the most popular deities in the Hindu pantheon of gods, usually portrayed playing a flute.
The Liverpool-born Harrison spent most of his life in England. But he persuaded his fellow Beatles to visit India in the 1960s to study with the late guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in Rishikesh. He also spent time in a house boat on Dal Lake in Kashmir and studied the multi-stringed sitar with Indian maestro, Ravi Shankar. Harrison, who some years ago survived an attempt on his life by an armed intruder in his mansion in southern England, was a frequent visitor to India which he regarded as his spiritual home.
The location and the timing of the ceremony on the Ganges were last night shrouded in mystery. It was said the main event would be held on the river bank of the sacred city of Varanasi, with supplementary rituals at Allahabad and Brindavan, also in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
According to some reports, the main ceremony took place in the early hours of the Indian morning to coincide with a one-minute meditation service in Liverpool at 9.30 p.m. last night. Other reports, however, indicated that the disposal of the ashes at Varanasi would not take place until later today.
The 3,000-year city of Varanasi is the holiest and most visited pilgrimage site in India. Foremost among its ghats or bathing steps is the Dasaswamedh Ghat where, a Krishna spokesman said yesterday, the sprinkling of Harrison's ashes would take place. This is the "ghat of 10 sacrificed horses" where sacrifices are believed to have been made by Lord Brahma (the creator) for the safe return from exile of the god Shiva (the destroyer).
Further upriver is the city of Allahabad at the confluence of three rivers: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the semi-mystical Saraswati. This is the site of the legendary Kumbh Mela festival, the world's biggest religious gathering held every 12 years. Brindavan is the place where the Lord Krishna is said to have frolicked with milkmaids and later stolen their clothes while they were bathing in the Ganges.
Harrison, who died of cancer last Saturday aged 58, is said to have slipped from life amidst the chanting of Hare Krishna by loved ones in California.