The Great Gama
Encyclopedia
The "Great" Gama (ca.1880 - May 22, 1963) also known as "Gama Pahelvan", and "Lion of the Punjab", born Ghulam Muhammad , in Amritsar
, Punjab, British India, was a renowned wrestler, warrior and a practitioner of Pehlwani
wrestling. He was awarded the South Asian version of the World Heavyweight Championship on October 15, 1910. To this date he is the only wrestler in history who remained undefeated his whole life http://www.incrediblejourneyindia.com/gama_pehalwan.html which was substantial, as his career had spanned more than 50 years. He has been billed as the greatest Pehlwani
wrestler in history. After India's independence in 1947, Gama moved to Pakistan. Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Nawaz Sharif
is the grand-daughter of Gama. Gama belongs to the "Posval" clan of the Gujjars.
nickname was "Gama", was born to the renowned wrestler Muhammad Aziz in Punjab. Maharaja Bhawani Singh, the ruler of the princely state of Datia
, patronized the young wrestler and his brother Imam Bukhsh. Gama was first noticed at the age of ten when he entered a strongman competition held in Jodhpur
, which included many grueling exercises such as squats. The contest was attended by more than four hundred wrestlers and young Gama was among the last remaining fifteen wrestlers. At that point the Maharaja
of Jodhpur
announced Gama as the victor due to his remarkable show of enormous stamina and dedication among the many older wrestlers.
wrestler from Gujranwala
, in Punjab, Pakistan
. At about 7 feet tall with a very impressive record, Raheem was thought to easily defeat the 5' 7" Gama. Raheem's only drawback was his age as he was much older than Gama and near the end of his career.The bout continued for hours and eventually ended in a draw. The contest with Raheem was the turning point in Gama's career. After that, he was looked upon as the next contender for the Indian Wrestling Championship. In the first bout Gama remained defensive, but in the second bout, Gama went on the offensive. Despite severe bleeding from his nose and ears, he managed to deal out a great deal of damage to Raheem Bakhsh.
to compete with the Western
Wrestlers. In London
, Gama issued a challenge that he could throw any three wrestlers in thirty minutes of any weight class. This announcement however was seen as a bluff by the wrestlers and their promoter R.B. Benjamin. For a long time no one came forward to accept the challenge. In order to break the ice, Gama presented another challenge to specific heavy weight wrestlers. He challenged Stanislaus Zbyszko
and Frank Gotch
, either he would beat them or pay them the prize money and go home. The first professional wrestler to take his challenge was the American Benjamin Roller
. In the bout, Gama pinned Roller in 1 minute 40 seconds the first time, and in 9 minutes 10 seconds the other.
The next to accept Gama's challenge was Stanislaus Zbyszko
, and the date of bout was set as 10 September 1910. The match was £250 in prize money and the John Bull Belt. Within a minute, Zbyszko was taken down and remained in that position for the remaining 2 hours and 35 minutes of the match. There were a few brief moments when Zbyszko would get up, but he just ended back down in his previous position. Crafting a defensive strategy of hugging the mat in order to nullify Gama’s greatest strengths, Zbyszko wrestled the Indian legend to a draw after nearly three hours of grappling, though Zbyszko’s lack of tenacity angered many of the fans in attendance. The two men were set to face each other again on 17 September 1910. On that date, Zbyszko failed to show up and Gama was announced the winner by default. He was awarded the prize and the John Bull Belt. Receiving this belt entitled Gama to be called Rustam-e-Zamana or World Champion.
During this tour Gama defeated some of the most respected grapplers in the world, "Doc" Benjamin Roller of the United States, Maurice Deriaz of France, Johann Lemm (the European Champion) of Switzerland, and Jesse Peterson (World Champion) from Sweden. In the match against Roller, Gama threw "Doc" 13 times in the 15 minute match. Gama now issued a challenge to the rest of those who laid claim to the World Champion's Title, including Japanese Judo champion Taro Miyake, Georges Hackenschmidt of Russia and Frank Gotch of the United States - each declined his invitation to enter the ring to face him. At one point, in order to face some type of competition, Gama offer to fight twenty English wrestlers, one after another. He announced that he would defeat all of them or pay out prize money - still no one would take up his challenge.
. This bout eventually ended the long struggle between the two pillars of Indian wrestling of that time in favor of Gama and he won the title of Rustam-e-Hind or Champion of India. Later in his life when asked about who was his strongest opponent, Gama replied, "Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala".
of that time (1916).
In 1922, during a visit to India, the Prince of Wales
presented Gama with a silver mace
.
Gama did not have any opponents until 1927, when it was announced that Gama and Zbyszko would face each other again. The day finally came in 1928 when both wrestlers met again in Patiala. The result of the bout was quick when Gama threw Zbyszko in only 42 seconds.
He was now known as the "Great wrestler" of South Asia.
where he lived the rest of his life with his brother, the Champion Imam Bukhsh and his nephews, the famous Bholu Brothers. After retiring, he trained his nephew Bholu Pahalwan
who held the Pakistani wrestling championship for almost 20 years.
, Pakistan
on 21 May 1963.
To this day, he remains among the top four men continually rated as the four greatest wrestlers of all time, they being 1)the Great Gama , 2) George Hackenschmidt, 3) Stanislaus Zbyszko
and 4) Frank Gotch
.
Today, a doughnut shaped exercise disc weighing 95 kg, used by him for squats, is housed at the National Institute of Sports
(NIS) Museum at Patiala
videogame series. The character bears a strong physical resemblance to that of Gama.
The Great Gama appears as a character in the video game Shadow Hearts: Covenant
.
was an avid follower of Gama's training routine. Lee read articles about Gama and how he employed his exercises to build his legendary
strength for wrestling, and Lee quickly incorporated them into his own routine. Some of the training routines he got was: "The Cat Stretch" - an indian version of the well know "Push-up", "The Squat" - which is called "baithak" in India, its simply known as "deep-knee bend".
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, Punjab, British India, was a renowned wrestler, warrior and a practitioner of Pehlwani
Pehlwani
Pehlwani or Pahlavani or Kushti is a Persian style of wrestling popular in Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It was developed in the Mughal era through a synthesis of Indian malla-yuddha and Persian Varzesh-e Bastani....
wrestling. He was awarded the South Asian version of the World Heavyweight Championship on October 15, 1910. To this date he is the only wrestler in history who remained undefeated his whole life http://www.incrediblejourneyindia.com/gama_pehalwan.html which was substantial, as his career had spanned more than 50 years. He has been billed as the greatest Pehlwani
Pehlwani
Pehlwani or Pahlavani or Kushti is a Persian style of wrestling popular in Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It was developed in the Mughal era through a synthesis of Indian malla-yuddha and Persian Varzesh-e Bastani....
wrestler in history. After India's independence in 1947, Gama moved to Pakistan. Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
is the grand-daughter of Gama. Gama belongs to the "Posval" clan of the Gujjars.
Early life
Ghulam Muhammad, whose PunjabiPunjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
nickname was "Gama", was born to the renowned wrestler Muhammad Aziz in Punjab. Maharaja Bhawani Singh, the ruler of the princely state of Datia
Datia
Datia is a small rural town and a municipality in Datia district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative center of Datia District. It was formerly the seat of the eponymous princely state in the British Raj. Datia is situated near Gwalior and on the border with Uttar...
, patronized the young wrestler and his brother Imam Bukhsh. Gama was first noticed at the age of ten when he entered a strongman competition held in Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, which included many grueling exercises such as squats. The contest was attended by more than four hundred wrestlers and young Gama was among the last remaining fifteen wrestlers. At that point the Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
announced Gama as the victor due to his remarkable show of enormous stamina and dedication among the many older wrestlers.
First encounter with Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala
Fame came to Gama at the age of 19 when he challenged the then Indian Wrestling Champion,middle aged Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala, who was also a PunjabiPunjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
wrestler from Gujranwala
Gujranwala
Gujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
, in Punjab, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. At about 7 feet tall with a very impressive record, Raheem was thought to easily defeat the 5' 7" Gama. Raheem's only drawback was his age as he was much older than Gama and near the end of his career.The bout continued for hours and eventually ended in a draw. The contest with Raheem was the turning point in Gama's career. After that, he was looked upon as the next contender for the Indian Wrestling Championship. In the first bout Gama remained defensive, but in the second bout, Gama went on the offensive. Despite severe bleeding from his nose and ears, he managed to deal out a great deal of damage to Raheem Bakhsh.
Winning the John Bull Belt
By 1910, Gama had defeated all the prominent Indian wrestlers who faced him except the Champion Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala. At this time, he focused his attention on the rest of the world. Accompanied by his younger brother Imam Bukhsh, Gama sailed to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to compete with the Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
Wrestlers. In London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Gama issued a challenge that he could throw any three wrestlers in thirty minutes of any weight class. This announcement however was seen as a bluff by the wrestlers and their promoter R.B. Benjamin. For a long time no one came forward to accept the challenge. In order to break the ice, Gama presented another challenge to specific heavy weight wrestlers. He challenged Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. He was one of the most influential European grapplers of all-time, he was also among the sport’s great pioneer champions...
and Frank Gotch
Frank Gotch
Frank Alvin Gotch was an American professional wrestler of German ancestry, the first American to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and credited for popularizing professional wrestling in the United States...
, either he would beat them or pay them the prize money and go home. The first professional wrestler to take his challenge was the American Benjamin Roller
Ben Roller
Dr. Benjamin Franklin Roller was a physician, a professional wrestler and a football player. He played football for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, Philadelphia Athletic Club and was later a player-coach with the Philadelphia Phillies of the first National Football League. Also in 1902, he played...
. In the bout, Gama pinned Roller in 1 minute 40 seconds the first time, and in 9 minutes 10 seconds the other.
The next to accept Gama's challenge was Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. He was one of the most influential European grapplers of all-time, he was also among the sport’s great pioneer champions...
, and the date of bout was set as 10 September 1910. The match was £250 in prize money and the John Bull Belt. Within a minute, Zbyszko was taken down and remained in that position for the remaining 2 hours and 35 minutes of the match. There were a few brief moments when Zbyszko would get up, but he just ended back down in his previous position. Crafting a defensive strategy of hugging the mat in order to nullify Gama’s greatest strengths, Zbyszko wrestled the Indian legend to a draw after nearly three hours of grappling, though Zbyszko’s lack of tenacity angered many of the fans in attendance. The two men were set to face each other again on 17 September 1910. On that date, Zbyszko failed to show up and Gama was announced the winner by default. He was awarded the prize and the John Bull Belt. Receiving this belt entitled Gama to be called Rustam-e-Zamana or World Champion.
During this tour Gama defeated some of the most respected grapplers in the world, "Doc" Benjamin Roller of the United States, Maurice Deriaz of France, Johann Lemm (the European Champion) of Switzerland, and Jesse Peterson (World Champion) from Sweden. In the match against Roller, Gama threw "Doc" 13 times in the 15 minute match. Gama now issued a challenge to the rest of those who laid claim to the World Champion's Title, including Japanese Judo champion Taro Miyake, Georges Hackenschmidt of Russia and Frank Gotch of the United States - each declined his invitation to enter the ring to face him. At one point, in order to face some type of competition, Gama offer to fight twenty English wrestlers, one after another. He announced that he would defeat all of them or pay out prize money - still no one would take up his challenge.
Final encounter with Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala
Shortly after his return from England, Gama faced Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala in AllahabadAllahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
. This bout eventually ended the long struggle between the two pillars of Indian wrestling of that time in favor of Gama and he won the title of Rustam-e-Hind or Champion of India. Later in his life when asked about who was his strongest opponent, Gama replied, "Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala".
Rematch with Zbyszko
After beating Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala, Gama beat Pandit Biddu, who was one of the best wrestlers in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
of that time (1916).
In 1922, during a visit to India, the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
presented Gama with a silver mace
Ceremonial mace
The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the original mace used as a weapon...
.
Gama did not have any opponents until 1927, when it was announced that Gama and Zbyszko would face each other again. The day finally came in 1928 when both wrestlers met again in Patiala. The result of the bout was quick when Gama threw Zbyszko in only 42 seconds.
He was now known as the "Great wrestler" of South Asia.
Remaining career
After soundly beating Zbyszko in 07 seconds, Gama beat Jesse Petersen in February 1929. This bout lasted only one and a half minutes. This was the last bout that Gama fought during his career and although he did not retire until 1952, he did not find any opponent and retired undefeated.The move to Pakistan and subsequent retirement
After the independence in 1947, Gama moved to PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
where he lived the rest of his life with his brother, the Champion Imam Bukhsh and his nephews, the famous Bholu Brothers. After retiring, he trained his nephew Bholu Pahalwan
Bholu Pahalwan
Bholu was one of the most popular wrestlers of 1950s. His name has been recorded in the annals of wrestling. Bholu originates from aGujjar family of renowned wrestlers from Amritsar, Punjab. He lived in Amritsar till age 9. Then during one of his school holidays Bholu moved to Patiala to visit his...
who held the Pakistani wrestling championship for almost 20 years.
Death
The Great Gama died in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
on 21 May 1963.
To this day, he remains among the top four men continually rated as the four greatest wrestlers of all time, they being 1)the Great Gama , 2) George Hackenschmidt, 3) Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. He was one of the most influential European grapplers of all-time, he was also among the sport’s great pioneer champions...
and 4) Frank Gotch
Frank Gotch
Frank Alvin Gotch was an American professional wrestler of German ancestry, the first American to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and credited for popularizing professional wrestling in the United States...
.
Today, a doughnut shaped exercise disc weighing 95 kg, used by him for squats, is housed at the National Institute of Sports
National Institute of Sports
Founded in 1961, Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports or NIS, is Asia's largest Sports Institute located in princely city of Patiala...
(NIS) Museum at Patiala
In popular culture
The Great Gama inspired the design and concept for the character Darun Mister, appearing in the Street Fighter EXStreet Fighter EX
Street Fighter EX is a head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware in . It is a spin-off of the Street Fighter series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the series to feature polygon graphics...
videogame series. The character bears a strong physical resemblance to that of Gama.
The Great Gama appears as a character in the video game Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by Midway in 2004. It is a direct continuation of Shadow Hearts and the second official game in the Shadow Hearts series. The game features two DVD-ROM discs instead of the usual one, which provides,...
.
Influences
Bruce LeeBruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
was an avid follower of Gama's training routine. Lee read articles about Gama and how he employed his exercises to build his legendary
strength for wrestling, and Lee quickly incorporated them into his own routine. Some of the training routines he got was: "The Cat Stretch" - an indian version of the well know "Push-up", "The Squat" - which is called "baithak" in India, its simply known as "deep-knee bend".
See also
- PehlwaniPehlwaniPehlwani or Pahlavani or Kushti is a Persian style of wrestling popular in Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It was developed in the Mughal era through a synthesis of Indian malla-yuddha and Persian Varzesh-e Bastani....
- Catch wrestlingCatch wrestlingCatch wrestling is a style of folk wrestling that was developed and popularised in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...
- Bholu PahalwanBholu PahalwanBholu was one of the most popular wrestlers of 1950s. His name has been recorded in the annals of wrestling. Bholu originates from aGujjar family of renowned wrestlers from Amritsar, Punjab. He lived in Amritsar till age 9. Then during one of his school holidays Bholu moved to Patiala to visit his...
- Dara SinghDara SinghDara Singh Randhawa is a wrestler and Indian film actor. He was born in a Jat Sikh family of Punjabi background.He was a wrestler before he started acting in Hindi films in 1962....
- Professional wrestlingProfessional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
- Akram Pehlwan
- Aslam PahalwanAslam Pahalwan-Career:Aslam Pahalwan started his wrestling career as the pupil of Hamida Pahalwan and also the Great Gama of India. Aslam is one of the unbeatable wrestlers that the art of traditional wrestling produced when it flourished in India during the past....
- Premchand DograPremchand DograPremchand Degra is an IFBB professional bodybuilder from India. Also mentioned as Premchand Degra/Dhingra. He won the Mr. Universe title in the short-height 80 kg category in 1988. He was also awarded the "Achievement Medal" by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness in...
- Nathmal PahalwanNathmal PahalwanNathmal Pahalwan also known as Nathmal Pareek was a wrestler and a community activist from Calcutta, India. He was the founder of Ganga Seva Samiti Ghat and the wrestling arena in Calcutta, India...
- Gobar GohoGobar GohoJatindra Charan Goho , popularly known by his ring name Gobar Goho , was a world famous Indian wrestler and practitioner of Pehlwani. He was the first Asian to win the World Light Heavyweight Championship in the United States in 1921.- Early life :Gobar came from a family of wrestlers...
External links
- The Lion of the Punjab – Gama in England, 1910 By Graham Noble
- The Lion of the Punjab – Part II: Stanislaus Zbyszko By Graham Noble
- The Lion of the Punjab – Part III: London, 1910 By Graham Noble
- The Lion of the Punjab – Part IV: Aftermath by Graham Noble
- Subaltern Bodies and Nationalist Physiques: Gama the Great and the Heroics of Indian Wrestling by Joseph Alter, Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- The Great Gama on WrestlingMuseum.com
- The Great Gama on Wrestling-Titles.com
- The Great Gama by Glenn Harrison