A prominent public figure of the Punjab, Bhai Parmanand descended from the family of the famous Sikh martyr, Bhai Mati Das. His father's name was Bhai Tara Chand Mohyal who belonged to village Kariala, District Jhelum. Being an Arya Samajist by faith, Parmanand visited South Africa as a religious missionary.In 1912 he proceeded to America. After visiting the British colonies in South America he went to North America where he came in contact with Lala Hardyal and other leaders of the Ghadar movement and became an active Ghadrite. He accompanied Hardyal on his lecturing tour to Portland in 1914 and in the interest of Ghadar wrote a book Tarikh-I-Hind. On his arrival in India he was arrested in connection with the First Lahore Conspiracy Case and was sentenced to death in 1915. The sentence was later commuted to one of transportation for life and he was imprisoned in the Andaman Islands till 1920. As a prisoner he was subjected to rigorous labour. By way of protest against the harsh treatment of political prisoners, Bhai Parmanand went on hunger strike for two months. The King-Emperor, George V, released him in 1920 as the result of a general amnesty order.