Shiv Narayan Agnihotri

Who was Shiv Narayan Agnihotri?

Shiv Narayan Agnihotri was the founder of an atheist society in India called the Deva Samaj or "Society of God". Agnihotri enrolled in the state-sponsored Thompson Engineering College in Roorkee, and in 1873 he took up a job as a drawing master in Government School in Lahore. Later, he and his wife became active members of the Brahmo Samaj until he broke off to form the rival Deva Samaj in 1887. This sect emphasised on the eternity of the soul, supremacy of the guru and the need for good action. Its teachings were compiled in a book called Deva Shastra.