Secret Graceland: The Surprising Inspiration Behind Elvis Presley’s Meditation Garden
Elvis Presley‘s Graceland home has become a mecca for music fans worldwide. However, it was a family abode before it became a popular tourist destination. Elvis tried to make Graceland a place where he could unwind from the rigors of the road. One of its most unique elements is its Meditation Garden, which draws inspiration from a surprising source.
Elvis Presley’s inspiration for the Meditation Garden hails from a California sanctuary
One of the most unique features of Elvis Presley’s Graceland home remains its Meditation Garden. The peaceful backyard area was modeled after a sanctuary the King of Rock and Roll frequented during his visits to California.
Architectural Digest reports Elvis often visited the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in California while filming his movies. The sanctuary, located in Los Angeles, holds a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes.
The reflective area is serene, with plenty of areas for quiet contemplation and respect for all religious groups. Elvis was reportedly so inspired by the look of the shrine that he wanted the same type of place constructed on Graceland’s grounds.
The King of Rock and Roll asked Elvis Memphis builder Bernard Grenadier to design such a space in Graceland’s backyard. Just beyond the pool area lies the area that allowed Elvis to have an experience similar to the California shrine.
When did the Meditation Garden become a graveyard?
Graceland was such a busy household that Elvis Presley would reportedly frequent the garden for some quiet time. The area was subsequently designed with a circular pergola and a fountain at its center.
However, he never intended for the Meditation Garden to become a Presley family graveyard. Instead, he wanted the area to be a place for quiet reflection amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
However, if the Meditation Garden had been originally intended as a family graveyard, Elvis likely would have had his beloved mother, Gladys Presley, interred at home instead of at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis. Gladys died on Aug. 14, 1958.
After Elvis’ 1977 death, he, too, was interred at the same cemetery as his mother. But after a reported attempt to steal his body, both Elvis and Gladys’ remains were permanently moved to Graceland and the Meditation Garden.
Lisa Marie Presley spoke of her family graveyard in her song ‘Lights Out’
As reported by Express, Lisa Marie Presley sang of having the Graceland family graveyard. Thus, she revealed her conflicting feelings about the area.
“The back lawn of Graceland is a graveyard, basically. How many people have a family grave in the backyard? How many people are reminded of their fate, their mortality, every [expletive] day?” she said.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s only daughter expressed her feelings about the now-iconic area in her 2003 song “Lights Out.” She sang, “Someone turned the lights out there in Memphis. That’s where my family’s buried and gone. Last time I was there, I noticed a space left, Next to them, there in Memphis, In the damn back lawn.”
Per Express, Lisa Marie added she would likely be buried there as well. “All the graves are lined up, and there’s a spot there, waiting for me, right next to my grandmother,” she said.
“I don’t plan on anything. I’m sure I’ll end up there. Or I’ll shrink my head and put it in a glass box in the living room. I’ll get more tourists to Graceland that way,” Lisa Marie stated.
Lisa Marie Presley was interred at Graceland in January 2023, next to her only son, Benjamin Storm Keough. She was laid to rest directly opposite her father, grandmother Gladys, grandfather Vernon, and great-grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley.
