Gama Pehlwan Biography, Age, Family, And More

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Gama Pehlwan was born on 22 May 1878, in Jabbowal, Amritsar, Punjab, India. He was a Pehlwani wrestler and his ring name was The Great Gama. In this article, I have gathered information about The Great Gama’s biography, family, age, and achievement so that you can know about his life thoroughly.

gama pehlwan

Gama Pehlwan Biography –

The Great Gama was popularly known as Rustam-e-Hind and was an undefeated wrestling champion of India. As you are able to know that he was born in British India but after the partition of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947, he migrated to Pakistan.

Real Name – Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt

Nick Name – Gama Pehlwan

Gender – Male

Birth of Date – 22 May 1878

Profession – Wrestler

Nationality – Indian (British India)

Religion – Islam

Age -82 Years (as of 1960)

Birthplace – Amritsar, Punjab, India

Home town – Amritsar

Zodiac Sign – Gemini

College/University – Not Known

Educational Qualification – Not Known

Hobbies – Workout

Gama Pehlwan Family –

Gama was born in a Kashmiri family. The Great Gama’s father’s name is Muhammad Aziz Baksh, he was a renowned wrestler himself. He has a brother who was also a wrestler. Gama married Wazeer Begum and they had 9 children in total, 5 sons and 4 daughters. Gama’s grandaughter’s name is Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif, she is the wife of Nawaz Sharif (Former Prime Minister of Pakistan).

Father Name – Muhammad Aziz Baksh

Mother Name – Not Known

Siblings – Imam Baksh Pahalwan (Brother)

Marital Status – Married

Marriage Date – Not Known

Wife – Wazeer Begum

Children – 9

Last Updated – 12 April 2023

Early Life –

Gama lost his father when he was six years old. After that his maternal grandfather took care of him and his name was Nun Pehlwan. Gama get recognition when he was only 10 years old when he entered the strongman competition held in Jodhpur, India. In that competition, Gama was among the last 15 contenders. Impress by Gama’s performance in that competition the Maharaja of Jodhpur declared Gama as a winner of this competition.

Physical Stats / Appearance –

Gama Pehlwan’s height is approximately 5.67 feet or 173 cm and his weight is approximately 110 kg.

Height (approx.) – 1.73 m

Weight (approx.) – 110 kg

Hair Color – Black

Eye Color – Black

Career –

When the story of Gama’s great performance reached the Maharaja of Datia, then the Maharaja took Gmama into training and from that time onwards Gama’s professional wrestling started. At the age of 17, The Great Gama challenged Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala who was a Kashmiri Indian wrestling champion at that time. The competition with Raheem ended in a draw but this competition was the turning point in Gama’s career.

By 1910, Gama started to focus on the rest of the world’s wrestlers, as he defeated all the prominent Indian wrestlers except Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala. 

When he traveled to London to participate in an Internation competition, he was denied to participate in that competition by organizers due to his short stature, then Gama threw an open challenge that he could beat 3 wrestlers in 30 minutes of any weight.

But for a long time, no one takes it seriously, then he specifically challenged Stanislaus Zbyszko and Frank Gotch to wrestle with him. Gama challenged them that either he would beat them or pay them the prize money and go home. Gama defeated both the wrestlers and also 12 other wrestlers and gained entry to the official tournament. 

During his tour to Western countries, Gama defeated some of the most respected grapplers, such as Benjamin Roller of the United States, Jesse Peterson from Sweden, Maurice Deriaz of France, and Johann Lemm of Switzerland.

During his career, Gama fought and won over 5000 matches. Famous martial artist Bruce Lee was a follower of Gama’s training schedule. He read many articles about Gama’s exercise. After the partition of India, Gama moved to Pakistan, and on 23 May 1960, Gama Pehlwan died in Lahore, Pakistan.

Frequently Asked Questions –

Who lifted a 1200 kg stone?
– Gama Pehlwan.

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