One of the most memorable parts of Elvis Presley's visit to Graceland is the Meditation Garden located in the courtyard of the main residence. It contains the remains of Elvis, his parents Gladys and Vernon, his twin brother Jesse, his grandmother Minnie Mae and his grandson Benjamin. However, the Meditation Garden was not meant to be a family cemetery. It was meant for something completely different.
© Showbiz Cheatshit Graceland Meditation Paradise | Raymond Boyd/Getty ImagesElvis Presley's Graceland opened for tours in 1982
After Elvis Presley's death in 1977, the estate faced liquidity problems due to the artist's extravagant spending habits. According to the official website, Graceland was spending more than half a million dollars a year on maintenance and taxes at the time.
In late 1981, the estate planned and succeeded in opening Graceland to the public. Graceland opened to the public on June 7, 1982. The house receives more than 500,000 visitors each year and is one of the five most visited in the United States. It is the most famous house in America after the White House.
However, the Meditation Garden, now a tourist staple, hasn't always been the Presley family's final resting place. The tragedy following Elvis' death changed plans for a permanent patio.
Throughout his life, Elvis Presley used the Meditation Garden as a place of quiet contemplation.
On August 18, 1977, two days after his death, Presley was buried next to his late mother Gladys at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis. However, three men tried to rob the singer of £900. A metal-lined, copper-lined coffin and Elvis' body being held for ransom changed the family's plans. Elvis and Gladys' remains were returned to Graceland, according to People magazine, and interred in the Meditation Garden.
The Meditation Garden south of the pool area was built in 1964-1965 by Elvis.au. Elvis is said to have built the place as a private retreat on the property to meditate.
The centerpiece of the garden is a twelve foot circular fountain with five single streams and a large focal point. Colored spotlights illuminate the area. The columns of the pergola face the south side of the pool and have stained glass panels.
Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, has spoken about having a cemetery in her childhood backyard.
© Showbiz Cheatshit Lisa Marie Presley and Elvis Presley | By Frank Carroll/Sigma Getty ImagesLisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, was candid that her childhood backyard was the family cemetery.
"Graceland's back lawn is a cemetery. How many people have family graves in their backyards? How many people are reminded of their fate, their death, every day [satisfactorily]? He said.
Also, in 2003, Lisa Marie talked about growing up in the mansion in the lyrics of the song "Lights". He sang, “Someone turn on the lights in Memphis. He buried my family there and ran away. Last time I was there, I looked at the rest of the country. Beside them, there in Memphis, on the accursed grass.
RELATED: Elvis Presley's Graceland Has a Secret Dining Room He Helped Quietly Meet the King of Rock and Roll
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