'Most Beautiful Sadhvi’ Harsha Richharia Quits Religious Path, Set to Resume Old Profession

New Delhi: Popular as most beautiful sadhvi, Harsha Richharia, who came into the spotlight during the Mahakumbh 2025, has now announced her departure from the path of religion. In a video message released on Monday, Harsha said that her journey, which began at the Mahakumbh, is now coming to an end. She clearly stated that after Mauni Amavasya, she will leave the path of religion and return to her old profession.

Harsha Richharia is currently at the Prayagraj Magh Mela and this time she is there with her brother Deepak. In the video, she shared her experiences of the past year, saying that during this time she faced constant opposition, mental pressure, and questions about her character, which has left her completely disheartened.

Here's her video message:

Accusations of being repeatedly stopped and demoralized

Harsha began the video with the chant of 'Jai Shri Ram'. She said that in the last year, she tried her best to follow the path of religion, but she was opposed at every step. She says that this opposition started in Prayagraj itself. She hoped that things would normalize after the Mahakumbh, but that did not happen.

Harsha said, "I have not done anything wrong. I haven't stolen anything, nor committed any immoral act, nor done injustice to anyone. Despite this, whenever I tried to move forward on the path of religion, I was stopped and my morale was broken."

'People thought I was making a business out of religion'

Harsha Richharia also responded to the allegations that she was making millions of rupees by turning religion into a business. She completely denied this. According to Harsha, "While there are people today who are making millions by turning religion into a business, I myself am deeply in debt."

She said that before connecting with religion, she was in the anchoring profession and was happy with her work. She had worked not only in India but also abroad and was earning a good income, but after embarking on this path, she was left with nothing but debt.

‘No one is standing by me today’

Harsha said that she faced opposition even at the Magh Mela, which left her mentally broken. She emotionally stated that the saddest thing is that no one is standing by her today.

She said that in our society, it is very easy to oppose a girl, question her character, and break her spirit. She said, "I am not Sita that I should undergo a trial by fire."

Resolution to end on Mauni Amavasya

Harsha announced that after taking a dip in the Ganges at the Magh Mela on Mauni Amavasya, she would bring her resolution to follow the path of religion to a complete end. She said that she has faced all the trials she needed to in the past year, and now it's enough.

She also gave a message to the youth and women, saying that if anyone asks her for advice on following the path of religion, she will tell them to stay with their families, worship in their home temples, and not follow anyone blindly.

Gained recognition at the Mahakumbh

It is noteworthy that Harsha Richharia came into the limelight after sitting on a chariot during the procession of the Niranjani Akhara at the Prayagraj Mahakumbh. A section of the saint community objected to Harsha, a model and social media influencer by profession, appearing in the guise of a sadhvi (female ascetic). As the controversy escalated, she left the Mahakumbh midway and, in tears, even spoke of suicide to the media.

Immense popularity on social media

Before the Mahakumbh, Harsha had about 667,000 followers on Instagram, which increased to over 1 million in a single day on January 14, 2025. By the end of the Mahakumbh, her followers had reached 1.5 million, and currently, she has about 1.7 million followers on Instagram.

Harsha Richharia's decision has once again become a topic of discussion and has sparked a debate in society about religion, women's freedom, and the influence of social media.