The Kanya Mahavidyalaya, an Arya Samaj School, was established in 1896 by:

Concept

Institutional-history questions are solved by matching the institution’s place, reform movement, date, and founder. Similar reformers may have worked in the same region, so the precise institutional identity must control the match.

Application

Kanya Mahavidyalaya at Jalandhar grew out of the Arya Samaj effort for girls’ education. Lala Devraj was its founder and principal architect; the managing society was registered in 1896 and the school took the form of Kanya Mahavidyalaya that year.

Therefore, the founder asked for in this question is Lala Devraj.

Contrast

• Bhai Vir Singh was a Punjabi writer and Singh Sabha reformer.

• Agya Kaur worked as an educator and hostel matron in Sikh women’s education at Firozpur.

• Bhai Takht Singh was associated with the Sikh Kanya Mahavidyalaya at Firozpur.

• Lala Devraj led Arya Samaj women’s-education work at Jalandhar and founded the institution named in the question.

Cross-check

The institutional history of Kanya Mahavidyalaya and an independent historical account of Arya Samaj women’s education both identify Lala Devraj as the founder.

Result: Lala Devraj.