On October 15, 1910, Gama Pehlwan, who was born in the hamlet of Jabbowal, Amritsar District, in the Punjab Province of the British Raj in 1878, was awarded a share of the World Heavyweight Championship. Since he remained unbeaten during the course of a career spanning more than 52 years, he is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
After British India was split into the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan in August 1947, Gama relocated to Pakistan. He lived the rest of his life there until his passing on May 23, 1960, in the city of Lahore. Gama Gama Pehlwan competed in combat and won more than 5,000 battles.
Gama Pehlwan
Bruce Lee closely mimicked Gama’s training routine. Lee quickly incorporated Gama’s exercises into his own training after reading about how he utilised them to build his renowned power for wrestling.
In his training, Lee did movements like the cat stretch and the squat. At the National Institute of Sports (NIS) Museum in Patiala, India, is a 100 kg training disc named Hasli that he used for pushups and squats. As a tribute to the famous wrestler’s strength, the Baroda Museum in Sayajibaug has a 1200 kg stone on display.
On December 23, 1902, Gama raised this stone while in Baroda for a wrestling competition. Gama Pehlwan never stops inspiring wrestlers all over the world, even as time goes by. Despite more than 50 years having passed, Gama Pehlwan, also known as The Undefeated, remains unstoppable in every Indian subcontinental heart.
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Gama Pehlwan’s Life and Biography
- Real Name: Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt
- Religion: Kashmiri Muslim
- Place of Birth: Jabbowal, Amritsar
- Height of Gama Pehalwan: 1.71 meters
- Granddaughter: Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif
- Father’s Name: Aziz Baksh
- Nick Name: Rustam-e-Hind
- Death: 23 May, 1960
- Siblings: Imam Baksh Pehlwan
- Weight of Gama Pehalwan: 113 kg
- Profession: Wrestler
- First Encounter: Raheem Bakhsh Sultaniwala
- Birth: 22 May, 1878
- Ring Name : The Great Gama
The Gama Pehlwan’s youth
The legendary wrestler’s true name was not Gama Pehlwan. He was born on May 22, 1878, as Ghulam Mohammad Baksh in the Indian town of Jabbowal near Amritsar. He came from a wrestling-loving Kashmiri Muslim household.
The Great Gama Pehlwan’s dying moments
According to legend, The Great Gama experienced severe financial hardship in his latter days. Even Gama struggled to pay for his medication because he had a chronic ailment. A businessman named GD Birla gave him a pension of $2,000 and $300 every month as a way of helping them. GD Birla was a huge admirer of wrestling as well. The Pakistani government also paid for his medical bills up to the time of his passing on May 23, 1960.
Gama Pehlwan’s wife and children are his family.
Gama Pehalwan’s father was Muhammad Aziz Baksh, who was also a wrestler, was Gama Pehlwan’s father. He had a sibling named “Imam Babksh Pehalwan” and came from a Muslim household in Kashmir.
Gama wed Wazir Begum and another woman twice in his lifetime. He had a total of five boys and four girls. Nawaz Sharif’s wife, Kalsoom, is his granddaughter. Sairu Banu, another sister of Kalsoom, is Jhara Pehalwan’s spouse.
The Great Gama Pehlwan Retires
After the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, Gama relocated to Pakistan. Before retiring in 1952, Gama was without a challenger. After he retired, Gama mentored his nephew, Bholu Pehalwan, who ran the Pakistani Wrestling Championships for over 20 years.
Who was The Great Gama Pehlwan’s most formidable foe?
Strongest Rival. Gama’s response when asked who was his toughest foe was, “Rahim Baksh Sultani Wala.” In 1916, Gama beat Pandit Biddu, one of India’s top wrestlers.
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The Great Gama Pehlwan was first recognised in wrestling.
He was born into a family of wrestlers, so it was rather clear from the beginning that he would have an affinity for the sport. He also enjoyed wrestling and began training at a young age. He was initially discovered when he was 10 years old, in the year 1988. He was taking part in a strongman tournament in Jodhpur, which also featured hundreds of wrestlers.
Support from the family and the start of a wrestling career
In the court of Maharaja Bhawani Singh of Datia, Ghulam Muhammad Baksh Butt’s father, Gama Pehalwan, used to compete in wrestling matches. Gama’s father, Aziz Baksh, had the vision to turn his son into a wrestler, but he passed away tragically before he could do so.
Noon Pehalwan, the maternal grandfather of 6-year-old Ghulam Muhammad Baksh Butt, took him in to train him and his brother in wrestling. Ida Pehelwan, Gama Pehalwan’s maternal uncle, then taught the two of them wrestling manoeuvres.
Who gave the Great Gama Pehlwan the name “Tiger”?
Gama Pehlwan didn’t face any rivals until 1927. But soon after, it was revealed that Gama and Zbieszko would square off once more. Gama won the Indian version of the World Wrestling Championship in January 1928 in Patiala after defeating Zabisco in under a minute. Zabieszko referred to Gama as a “tiger” after the fight.
‘Rustam-e-Hind’ is a Preeminent Award
The majority of people are aware that Dara Singh received the “Rustam-e-Hind” award.
However, a lot of people are unaware that “The Great Gama” was the one who gave his name before Dara Singh to this famous prize.
The Great Gama Pehlwan’s 30-Minute Challenge
Gama and his younger brother, Imam Baksh, travelled to England to wrestle against Western wrestlers. His diminutive stature prevented him from being admitted right away, though. To combat this, he challenged the best wrestlers to throw any three wrestlers of any weight class in 30 minutes. However, no one accepted his challenge since they thought it was a scam. Gama also made a direct challenge to Frank Gotch and Stanislaus Zbieszko to either come forward or forfeit the award money.
The first person to accept Gama’s challenge was American wrestler Benjamin Roller. Gamma is able to pin the opponent in 1 minute 40 seconds and 9 minutes 10 seconds, respectively. Gama won over 12 wrestlers the following day to qualify for the actual competition.
The exercise regimen of “The Great Gama”
He was renowned for performing 1,000 pushups and 5,000 squats every day. No wrestler was able to stand in front of him. He left every wrestler speechless.
He replaced his father as a wrestler in the court of the Maharaja of Datia. He used to rehearse for over 12 hours throughout this. He allegedly used to perform between 2,000 and 3,000 punishment meetings and 3000 pushups each day.
Zbyszko against Gama Pehlwan.
The Great Gama was defeated by Zabieszko to a draw after nearly three hours of grappling. The next time Zbyszko and Gama were scheduled to compete, Zbyszko failed to show, and Gama won.
On September 10, 1910, in London, Gama competed against world champion Stanislaus Zbyszko in the John Bull World Championships final on September 10, 1910, in London. The match’s prize pool was $250 (22000).
FAQ
Who is the finest Pehlwan in the world?
Gama Pehlwan was regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. On the occasion of his 144th birthday, Google also paid him tribute with a Doodle on the website.
Who carried a stone weighing 1200 kg?
In 1902, the Gama Pehalwan moved a stone weighing 1,200 kg.
How is Gama Pehlwan’s training routine going?
Gama would typically get up quite early every day at 03:30. He would do 4,000 leaping squats and severe knee bends. He would do about 2000 one-arm press-ups and two-arm press-ups in the afternoon. Additionally, I would run 4 miles each day followed by 3–4 hours of wrestling.
Who was Bruce Lee’s idol?
Many people look up to Bruce Lee as their idol, but who was Bruce Lee’s idol? It was Ghulam Muhammad, also referred to as “Gama Pehalwan” by the general public.
Where is the 1,200 kg stone now kept?
The Baroda Museum currently houses the stone.