The allegation, attributed to Dinesh Sharma alias Falahari Maharaj in a letter to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claims a builder lobby and Rajasthan-based company financed Kohli’s 2023 visit to promote the spiritual leader.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, October 6, 2026 — A claim that cricketer Virat Kohli was paid ₹5 crore to visit the ashram of spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan has triggered a fresh social-media controversy, although no publicly available evidence has emerged to establish that any such payment was made.
The allegation has been attributed to Dinesh Sharma, popularly known as Falahari Maharaj and president of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas. According to ABP News, Sharma made the allegation in a letter addressed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The letter reportedly alleges that a property-builder lobby, along with a private company based in Rajasthan, spent ₹5 crore to bring Kohli to Premanand Maharaj’s ashram during his first visit in January 2023. The alleged objective, according to the claim, was to use the high-profile cricketer’s presence to promote the spiritual leader and his ashram.
The allegation has subsequently circulated widely on social media, with some posts presenting the ₹5 crore figure as an established fact.
भाई साहब मैने सोचा था उससे ज्यादा सच निकला 👹🤺
😂🙆🤣 कुछ बोलूंगा तो कमाई भारत देश की बदौलत और बिजनेस के बाद ” तुरन्त विदेश चले जाने वाले” 🤳 के फैंस कमेंट में पूरा योगदान देने आ जाएंगे 🙊🙈🙉
🪸 मुझे तो अब सच्चाई बोलते हुए, दिखाते हुए भी दया आ रही है इंफ्लूसर हमेशा अपनी सोचते हैं भक्तों ✍️🤺
“विराट कोहली को 5 करोड़ देकर प्रेमानंद महाराज जी के यहाँ लाये थे”
#ViratKohli | Virat Kohli 5 Cr | Premanand Maharaj https://t.co/KepdEZr8Nc
— Cockroach Janta party (@IAMVICKYFANS) October 5, 2026
There is, however, no publicly disclosed contract, invoice, bank transaction, sponsorship agreement or other documentary evidence establishing that Kohli was paid ₹5 crore for the visit. Neither the alleged payment nor the identities of the purported entities behind it have been independently established.
Kohli’s visit to Premanand Maharaj’s ashram itself is not in dispute. The cricketer and his wife, actor Anushka Sharma, first visited the spiritual leader in Vrindavan in January 2023 along with their daughter, Vamika. Images and videos from the meeting were widely circulated at the time.
The couple’s interaction with Premanand Maharaj also continued after their first visit. Kohli and Sharma returned to meet him in 2025, following Kohli’s announcement of his retirement from Test cricket in May that year. They have also visited the spiritual leader again this year.
The visits have therefore been publicly documented, but the circumstances surrounding the ₹5 crore allegation are not.
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The allegation has been linked to a letter reportedly sent by Dinesh Sharma to Yogi Adityanath. Sharma, who is associated with the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas, is reported to have questioned the circumstances surrounding Kohli’s first visit.
The letter alleged that a builder lobby and a Rajasthan-based private company had spent ₹5 crore to facilitate Kohli’s visit, with the intention of giving Premanand Maharaj greater visibility and public reach.
The letter, however, is an allegation rather than proof that the transaction took place.
No evidence has so far been made public showing that Kohli, Sharma or the ashram received ₹5 crore in connection with the visit. There has also been no publicly available documentation establishing that the alleged builder lobby or private company made such a payment.
Social media amplifies controversy
The allegation has gained renewed traction as social-media users debate Premanand Maharaj’s growing public profile and the visits by prominent personalities to his ashram.
On October 4, 2026, the X account @JaipurDialogues posted: “We Trust Premanand Maharaj! Do you?”
The post prompted a largely defensive response from users supporting the spiritual leader, with several replies criticising accounts that were circulating or amplifying the ₹5 crore allegation.
The social-media reaction has consequently shifted the debate from Kohli’s visit itself to questions about the credibility and motivation behind the payment claim.
