Updated

The ashes of Beatle George Harrison, a longtime follower of the Hindu religion, will be scattered over the Ganges River in New Delhi, India, considered to be holy by members of the faith.

The 58-year-old Harrison died Thursday in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer.

Harrison's widow, Olivia, and his 23-year-old son, Dhani were to travel to India to perform the ritual.

They'll be accompanied by two Hare Krishna devotees who performed Hindu rites on the ashes with the family in London, said Maha Mantra Das, New Delhi spokesman for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness.

The ashes were scheduled to arrive in India on Monday and be sprinkled in the Ganges River in the northern city of Varnasi, Das said. They were also to be scattered in Allahabad, where Hindu's three holiest rivers — the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati — converge.

His widow asked fans for a minute of meditation as a tribute to the musician. Britain's Press Association reported that Harrison's family was to scatter his ashes in India to coincide with that minute, which would take place at 3 a.m. Tuesday in India.

"Early morning is a very auspicious time for Hindus," Das said.

Britain's Press Association reported that Harrison was cremated only hours after losing his long battle against cancer and that his widow and son left for India with his ashes.

Harrison, known as the "quiet Beatle," had a long, intense interest in Indian mysticism and music.

In 1966, after the Beatles had ceased touring, Harrison came to India to study the sitar with Ravi Shankar. Shankar, whom Harrison helped make famous during the Beatles visits to India, was present during Harrison's final hours in California.

"We spent the day before with him, and even then he looked so peaceful, surrounded by love," Shankar said in a statement Friday.

In 1967, Harrison introduced the other Beatles to the teaching of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and all four took up transcendental meditation. Harrison and fellow Beatle John Lennon traveled to Rishikesh, a holy city in northern India on the Ganges River, to study with the Maharishi.

Harrison was the only one who remained a follower.

Harrison was also a devotee of India's Hare Krishna sect. In one of Harrison's most popular songs, "My Sweet Lord," the musician himself chants Hare Krishna.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.