When it’s to ‘find meaning’, Hollywood heads to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

That the West is fascinated with the East's spirituality is hardly news. But when in search of inner peace, most end up in the tried and tested locations of Rishikesh, Haridwar, Varanasi, etc. READ: Julia Roberts 'obsessed' with husband Is this where you forgave yourself?" Liz Gilbert, the character played by Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love, asks another character in the movie. The 'search for spiritual and emotional solutions' in the East does not seem to be particular to just Liz, though. The hills often beckon Hollywood stars to do some 'quiet thinking' and soul-searching. Some end up settling down here, some pay periodic visits, and some even have ashrams named after them. The most recent example is Sylvester Stallone's family. They had come to Haridwar to perform the shraadh ceremony for his son, who died three years ago. Uttarakhand's holy spots are, however, not the only places in the country that offer spiritual solace to those tired of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. From attending the morning aarti on the ghats of Vrindavan and Varanasi to strolling on the streets of Mathura, to meeting the Dalai Lama in McLeodganj or Dharamsala, the biggest cine stars in the world have come to the holiest towns in UP and North India looking for peace and enlightenment. Whether they come to India for a film shoot or a 'life conference', the one common thread connecting their visits has been that they have always been spiritual journeys. Here's a recap. Julia Roberts: Would love to live near Haridwar or Varanasi It's not just her character, Liz Gilbert, in the film adaptation of Eat, Pray, Love that comes to India looking for 'some answers'. Julia Roberts, in real life too, has shown interest in the spiritual practices in this part of the world. While shooting for the movie in 2009 in India, the actress, who has converted to Hinduism, had reportedly said, "I can see something like that (buying a house here) happening in the future. I would love to live near Haridwar or Varanasi, since they are such holy spots for Hinduism. I've heard land prices are astronomical there, though."

 Hollywood superstar Sylvester Stallone's family was in Kankhal, Haridwar, last week to perform the tithi shraadh for his son, Sage, who had died in 2012 of a heart attack. Stallone had met Prateek Mishrapuri, who performed the ceremony, in 2013 through their 'common friend' Nicole Kidman. Stallone's half-brother Michael, his wife Michelle, and two others visited Haridwar for the ritual. The Beatles: Songwriting in Rishikesh

The Beatles took a much-talked-about trip to Rishikesh in February 1968. They reportedly went to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram (now known as the Beatles Ashram) to attend a meditation training session. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr had spent seven weeks in the ashram and Lennon had even composed a song called 'The happy Rishikesh song.' Prince Charles and Camilla: In love with Rishikesh's aura

Britain's Prince Charles, along with wife Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, had visited Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh two years back to take part in the Ganga aarti. Their visit took place just after the Kedarnath tragedy. Rajesh Kumar Bisit, media coordinator at the ashram, says, "They had come to the ashram in a boat and then told us that they both would love to join us every evening for the aarti. They kept their elaichi ki malas on throughout the trip. In our visitors' diary, Prince Charles wrote, 'I wish I could have never left Rishikesh. Fell in love with the holy aura of this city'." When Pierce Brosnan ditched the metros for Dharamsala James Bond himself descended upon Dharamsala when British actor Pierce Brosnan visited McLeodganj in 2000 to meet the Dalai Lama. The Die Another Day star gave a miss to professional commitments and ignored sponsors' requests to visit Delhi and Mumbai as he limited his soul-searching trip to Dharamsala alone. When Richard Gere found his true calling in India

A practising Buddhist, Richard Gere's connection with India goes beyond films. The popular actor has made several trips to India, meeting the Dalai Lama on several occasions in Dharamsala. Gere says India is the place where he found his true calling as it 'generated respect and love for Dharma.' In 2013, Gere even delivered a lecture on Buddhism in Sikkim. The Kate Winslet waterfall!

According to the grapevine, Kate Winslet had visited Rishikesh in May 1998, and taken a bath in the Garud Chatti locality, 7km from Rishikesh. Apart from spirituality, research for a film set in India is apparently what had got her here. The waterfall in question is still known as the Kate Winslet Waterfall. When Varanasi left Brad Pitt awestruck

Superstar Brad Pitt is no stranger to India, having visited the country earlier as well. It was on his first visit here in 2006 that the actor visited Varanasi. Watching the morning aarti and experiencing a boat ride in the Ganga, Pitt was left 'awestruck.' He later told the media, "I found Varanasi absolutely staggering. I have never seen anything like it before. The city just spills into the river Ganges. It's a holy place where people go to die. It's really, really extraordinary!" Ashton Kutcher's ghats visit at Mathura and Vrindavan

In 2012, as Ashton Kutcher backpacked across Mathura and Vrindavan, paparazzi could be excused for confusing him with just another tourist. While shooting for Jobs, the biopic of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Kutcher spent a few days on the ghats of Vrindavan shooting for scenes from Jobs' life when he came to India to 'attain enlightenment'. Maggie O'Hara: Search for kindness, optimism

Actress Maggie O'Hara retired from films and settled in Rishikesh in 1997. She adopted an Indian name - Prabhavati Dwaba - and teaches underprivileged kids here. "Helping India's children would be in the spirit of what the Beatles were in India searching for: Generosity, optimism, kindness," she had said. When Demi Moore took spiritual guru for souvenir from India

Ashton Kutcher's ex-wife Demi Moore also found spiritual asylum in India when she visited McLeodganj in 2013 for a spiritual conference addressed by the Dalai Lama. By the time she returned, Demi had taken an unusual souvenir from India - a spiritual guru! Defining her India visit as a 'pilgrimage', Moore later claimed that the experience was instrumental in her reconciling with her daughters when she returned to the US.