{{Short description|Indian wrestler (c. 1860 – c. 1900/1901)}} {{other uses|Ghulam (disambiguation)}} {{distinguish|The Great Gama}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Gulam | image = Ghulam, Indian wrestler, c.1900.jpg | caption = Ghulam in c.1900 | birth_name = Ghulam Mohammad | birth_date = {{Circa|1860}}<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> | birth_place = Amritsar, Punjab<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> | death_date = {{Circa|1900|1901}}<ref name="EJMASNoble"/><ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> | death_place = Calcutta<ref name="EJMASNoble"/> | occupation = Wrestler | module = {{Infobox sportsperson | embed = yes | height = {{convert|5|ft|10|in|cm|abbr=on}}<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> | weight = {{convert|280|to|290|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> | sport = Wrestling | event = Paris Exposition of 1900 }} }}
'''Gulam''' (also spelled '''Ghulam'''; c. 1860 – c. 1900/1901), born '''Ghulam Mohammad''', was an Indian wrestler and strongman from Amritsar, Punjab. Known for his large physique and undefeated record, he is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of his era.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam">{{Cite web |title=Ghulam - Pahelwani |url=http://www.pahelwani.com/ghulam/4544812198 |publisher=Pahelwani.com |access-date=2025-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625075954/http://www.pahelwani.com/ghulam/4544812198 |archive-date=2011-06-25 }}</ref> According to contemporary accounts, Gulam, who was nicknamed {{'}}''Rustam-e-Hind''{{'}} (the Champion of India), never experienced his back touching the mat nor his opponents being able to move his legs.<ref name="gulamchapman">{{Cite book |last=Desbonnet |first=Edmond |title=The Kings of Wrestling: Anecdotes and Stories of Wrestling from the Distant Past to Our Times |editor-last=Chapman |editor-first=David L. |year=2024 |pages= 151-152 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-9407-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oPQYEQAAQBAJ }}</ref>
He gained international recognition at the Paris Exposition of 1900, where he defeated the Turkish wrestler Cour-Derelli.<ref name="EJMASNoble">{{Cite web |last=Noble |first=Graham |title='The Lion of the Punjab' – Gama in England, 1910 |url=https://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_noble_0502.htm |publisher=InYo: Journal of Alternative Perspectives |date=May 2002 |access-date=2025-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Hough-Snee | first = Dexter Zavalza | chapter = Wrestling | title = Routledge Handbook of Global Sport | editor-last = Nauright | editor-first = John | editor2-last = Zipp | editor2-first = Sarah | publisher = Routledge | date = 2020 | pages = 146 | doi = 10.4324/9781315714264 | isbn = 9781315714264 | url = https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315714264-15/wrestling-dexter-zavalza-hough-snee }}</ref> He is identified in historical accounts as the first notable Indian wrestler to appear in the West.<ref name="GreenSvinth2003">{{Cite book |last=Green |first=Thomas A. |editor-last=Green |editor-first=Thomas A. |editor2-last=Svinth |editor2-first=Joseph R. |title=Martial Arts in the Modern World |publisher=Praeger |location=Westport, Connecticut |date=2003 |pages=93–95 |isbn=0275981533 |language=en }}</ref>
==Early life== Gulam was born around 1860 into a family of wrestlers. His father was the noted wrestler Ali Baksh, also known as Alia Pahelwan. He belonged to the Kotwala wrestling school. Following the death of his father, Gulam received his training from his maternal uncle, Suleman Pahelwan, who served as a court wrestler for the Jodhpur State.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/>
==Career==
===India=== Gulam began his professional career in 1878 in Jodhpur, winning his debut match against Mullah Handa (Mohammad Ali Pahelwan).<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> He subsequently secured victories against prominent wrestlers of the time, including Feroz Pahelwan and Chirag Ali, in 1880.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/>
After accumulating wealth and fame in Jodhpur, Gulam returned to Amritsar to establish his own akhara (training center).<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> He engaged in a notable rivalry with Kikkar Singh, a wrestler known for his massive size. Kikkar Sing was said that he had once uprooted an acacia tree with his bare hand's.<ref name="DraegerSmith1969">{{Cite book |last=Draeger |first=Donn F. |author2-last=Smith |author2-first=Robert W. |title=Asian Fighting Arts |publisher=Kodansha International |location=Tokyo |date=1969 |pages=144–145 |isbn=9780870110795 |language=en }}</ref>
Their first encounter took place in Amritsar in 1886, where Gulam emerged victorious. Gulam defeated Kikkar Singh in a grueling two-hour bout.<ref name="DraegerSmith1969" />
[[File:Punjabi fresco depicting wrestlers facing off with each-other, inscribed with Gurmukhi script.jpg|thumb|Fresco depicting Kikkar Singh (right) pitted against his great rival, Ghulam Pahelwan (left), decorating the gateway of Jand village in Ludhiana district, Punjab]]
They met again a month later in Jammu, where Kikkar Singh was the champion of the Maharaja of Kashmir. Gulam wagered 100,000 rupees on the match and defeated Singh for the second time.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> The two rivals faced each other three more times.<ref name="DraegerSmith1969" /> Two matches held at Shahdera Serai near Lahore ended in draws; in the first of these (1895), Gulam suffered severe finger injuries which prevented him from continuing. However, in a subsequent match held before the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Gulam won decisively.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/>
In 1898, the Maharaja Rajendra Singh of Patiala invited Gulam to wrestle Shah Nawaz Nanniwala. Gulam won the bout, further cementing his reputation.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/>
===Paris Exposition (1900)=== In 1900, Gulam travelled to France to compete at the Paris Exposition.<ref name="EJMASNoble"/> Gulam attended the event accompanied by his brother Kullu and four other wrestlers from Lahore and Amritsar,<ref>{{cite book |last=Bose |first=Sugata |last2=Jalal |first2=Ayesha |title=Oceanic Islam: Muslim Universalism and European Imperialism |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2020 |page=20 |isbn=978-93-89812-51-0 |url=https://www.google.co.id/books/edition/Oceanic_Islam/RKRCEAAAQBAJ }}</ref> One report said Gulam was taken by Motilal Nehru,<ref name="IllustratedWeekly1982">{{Cite book |title=The Illustrated Weekly of India |volume=103 |issue=25–46 |date=1982 |publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited |page= 41 |location=Bombay |url=https://books.google.co.id/books?id=Slb-OhhGNLUC |language=en }}</ref> (father of Jawaharlal Nehru and grandfather of Indira Gandhi) to Paris around 1899–1900 for exhibition matches during the Paris Exposition.<ref name=GulanSen>{{cite book |last=Sen |first=Ronojoy |title=Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2015 |pages=168 |url=https://www.google.co.id/books/edition/Nation_at_Play/O5mACgAAQBAJ |isbn=9780231539937}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Graeme |title=A Pictorial History of Wrestling |publisher=Spring Books |year=1968 |page=62 |url=https://www.google.co.id/books/edition/A_Pictorial_History_of_Wrestling/8UBM951ZTXoC}}</ref> It was said that the dominance of this "Indian Wrestlers invasion" prompt some comments by the media at that time {{quote | text = What is New South Wales coming to, at least the male population of that colony? There were some sports held up country, one of the items in the programme being a wrestling match and, sad to say, this was won by a Hindoo hawker.... New South Wales is now dishonored, disgraced, dis-gusted, and, distinguished, for one of her "brawny" sons was defeated by a Hindoo hawker! Let us pray | author = Anonymous (Australian newspaper) | source = Quoted in Sen, Ronojoy. ''Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India''. Columbia University Press, 2015, p. 168.<ref name=GulanSen /> }}
There, Gulam also faced a Turkish heavyweight known as Cour-Derelli (also identified as Qadir Ali), who stood {{cvt|6|ft|5|in}} tall and weighed approximately 320 pounds.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/><ref name="EJMASNoble"/>
According to French wrestling historian Edmond Desbonnet, Gulam displayed "crushing superiority" despite wrestling with a sprained left arm.<ref name="EJMASNoble"/> Gulam threw his opponent with a "flying mare" maneuver, but the throw was not officially recognized due to disputes involving betting interests. Following this, the Turkish wrestler adopted a defensive strategy, lying flat on the mat for an hour and a half to avoid being thrown again. Gulam eventually kicked his opponent in frustration. To protect the financial interests of the bettors, the match was declared a win for Gulam, but all bets were cancelled.<ref name="EJMASNoble"/><ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/>
Dr. Krajewski, a mentor to the famous wrestler George Hackenschmidt, examined Gulam in Paris. Impressed by his physique and skill, Krajewski remarked that no wrestler in the world could last five minutes against Gulam in a fair contest.<ref name="EJMASNoble"/><ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> Some accounts, such as that by S. Muzumdar, suggest that Motilal Nehru may have accompanied Gulam to Europe, though Muzumdar's recollection of the match details contradicts contemporary French accounts.<ref name="EJMASNoble"/>
==Death and legacy== Shortly after his return to India from Paris, Gulam contracted cholera and died in Calcutta, either in 1900 or 1901.<ref name="EJMASNoble"/><ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/>
Gulam is remembered as one of the few wrestlers to retire undefeated.<ref name="PahelwaniGulam"/> Desbonnet classified him as one of the two "super wrestlers" of the modern era, alongside Youssouf Ishmaelo. Stanislaus Zbyszko, a world champion wrestler, described Gulam as "the ruler of his day, of the mat, of human strength," based on accounts from those who had trained with him.<ref name="EJMASNoble"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulam}} Category:Indian male professional wrestlers Category:Year of birth uncertain Category:1901 deaths Category:1860 births