[2] Born into a family of Brahmins in Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh, Agnihotri entered the Thompson College of Engineering in Roorkee at the age of sixteen.

[3] In 1873, he settled in Lahore where he took up a position as a drawing master at the Government School and joined the Brahmo Samaj, quickly rising as a major figure within the movement.

Adultery, polygamy and other 'unnatural crimes' were outlawed and hard work was stressed with members being urged to lead a useful life and shun excessive ceremonial expenses.

[14] His main target of criticism remained the Arya Samaj and he was able to produce a large volume of propagandist literature throughout his life.

The Dev Samaj peaked in early twentieth-century Punjab as a "Science Grounded Religion" with 3,597 members in 1921, but declined following Agnihotri's death in 1929.