Wrestlers of Punjab (Punjab de Pehlwan), 19th & 20th Century. A thread🧵.
Pahelwani, or ‘Kushti’ as it is also known, is the traditional wrestling of Punjab, the ‘Land of Five Rivers’. It is believed to be one of the oldest martial arts in existence. It is a synthesis of an indigenous Vedic form of wrestling called ‘Mal-yudh’, the ancient …
discipline of Yoga, and a Persian form of wrestling brought into the Indian subcontinent through the gateway of Punjab by the Indo-Persian and Mughal dynasties. The classical texts bear eloquent testimony to the popularity of wrestling since ancient times.
Of the more memorable fights mentioned are: The bout between Bhim and Jarasandh narrated in the Mahabharata, The contest between King Bali and the mighty King Ravan of Lanka in the Ramayan, & the duel between Rustum and Sohrab described in the Persian epic Shahnama.
A practitioner of Pahelwani is called a ‘pahelwan’. This term is derived from the Persian ‘pahlavan’, which means champion or warrior. It was particularly used to denote those warriors who excelled on the battlefield.
Following is the list of major Pehlwans of Punjab from the time specified above: Note: This thread only covers Traditional Khustigar Shahzors, Free style wrestlers are not included, If you know of more wrestlers you can expand this thread from the last reply & so forth.
Sidiqa Gilgo - Wrestled under the patronage of Lahore Darbar. The first Pehlwan to be recognised as the champion of Hindustan after he defeated Subdal & Ramdev, in 1840. He performed several remarkable feats of endurance, once running from Lahore to Amritsar before a major bout.
Ramzi Pehlwan - Known for his enormous weight & built. He won the Rustam-e-hind title by defeating Ali Baksh, both hailing from the same city i.e Ambarsar. After 1860 he moved to Baroda, & would eventually loose his title to a much younger opponent, Boota Pehlwan of Lahore.
Boota Pehlwan - Won the title Rustam-e-Hind from Ramzi, the only opponent who gave him any real trouble. On a visit to England in 1870, Boota was honoured by Queen Victoria. As an indication of his popularity, poets like Dagh, Fauq, Jang were moved to write tributes on his death.
Rahim Pehlwan Sultaniwala - One of the finest wrestlers Gujranwala has produced. Gama’s most formidable rival. Almost 7ft tall & weighing 300 pounds, he would cover himself head to toe in vermillion to strike fear into his opponents, appearing like a fearsome red demon.
Gamu Pehlwan Baliwala - Trained under Boota Pehlwan, bout’ed Sultaniwala 4 times, tied 3 times, & lost one. Also fought with Gama & Bidu Brahmin. He was only able to win a few fights in his career. His legacy was his son Feroz ud Din Goonga Pehlwan, whom he personally trained.
Feroz Din urf Gunga Pehlwan - Beated Rustam-e-Hind Imam Baksh, & Kullowala. His incidental death at a young age was one of the most tragic moments in the history of Pehlwani.
Pehlwan Ghulam Ghous - Entitled as Fakhr-e-Lahore & Fakhr-e-Hind. Won the Rustam-e-Hind title by defeating wrestlers like Ganda Singh, Sohan Singh, Ghula Mohiyudin, Yousaf Pehlwan & Tonny Lemaro.
Imam Baksh Pehlwan - Brother of Gama Pehlwan, Rustam-e-Hind title holder. One of the most respected names in the sport. Defeated Sultaniwala only in 20 minutes, also won against Swiss Champion John Lemm.
Kalia Pehlwan - From the small village of Jalapur Jatta, Gujrat. Won the Rustam-e-Hind title, first to defeat Sultaniwala. His other wins were against Hasan Multani, Dhakar Singh, Aga Pehlwan Dilliwala, Budo Brahmin, Prahtap Singh. Only lost against Mehani Reniwala & Imam Baksh.
Great Gama Pehlwan - Undefeated in a career spanning more than 52 years, Rustam-e-Jahan. Considered on the greatest wrestlers of all time. WHC in 1910, he went on to defeat grappling champions across the world.
Bholu Pehlwan - Held the world heavy weight title, dominated some of the finest men in wrestling Including Koroshenko, Pencheff, Goldstein, Zbisko, Zybisko-2 and Harbans Singh, Mangal Singh, Kharak Singh, Bullar & Aleem Pehlwan.
Hamida Pehlwan - Former Rustam-e-Hind & one the elite wrestlers of the time. He worked as a official wrestler for Nawab Jalaludin of Radhanpur. He also trained Bholu Pehlwan & Aslam Pehlwan.
Kikar Singh Sandhu - Was a wrestler of legendary fame. He was another student of Buta Pehlwan. His greatest rival was Ghulam Pehlwan of Ambarsar. They wrestled on several occasions, drawing nobles, & huge crowds from all over Punjab for their epic bouts.
Ghulam Pehlwan - Born in 1860, arguably the best wrestler in the subcontinent at his peak. Won the Rustam-e-Hind title. His rise in the sport was rapid, his wins against Kikkar Singh Sandhu of Lahore are most well remembered.
Kalu Pehlwan - Ghulam’s younger brother. Training & companionship with his brother were fundamental to his success. In 1900, along with another brother Rehmani, they toured France & made a considerable impression on the continent.
Mooda Pehlwan - He gained enduring fame in 1906 for drawing a Kushti with the Great Gama at Mochi Gate, Lahore. He also defeated Kala Praptapa for which he was awarded gold bangles & a precious necklace by The Maharaja of Junagadh.
Pehlwan Bidu Brahman - Born in Gujranwala, shifted to Lahore at the age of eight, he quickly rose in stature by defeating wrestlers like Karim Bux Sialkoti, Pratapa, Channa Kasai, Khalifa Ghora & Ghulam’s elder brother Rehmani.
Prince Ranji - Trained under The Great Gama, was involved in the first Kushti in America, which took place in Seattle, in 1937. In 1941, he defeated Chota Gama in Calcutta & drew with Goonga the same year in Lahore.
Jhara Pehlwan - Went undefeated in his career, trained by his father Aslam Pehlwan, He’s dubbed as Sher-e-Lahore in the city to this day. Him defeating Inochi became a legend, who defeated his uncle Aki Pehlwan before.
Aslam Pehlwan - Son of The Great Gama, after defeating Younis Pehlwan he won the title Rustam-e-Punjab. He defeated wrestlers like George Pencheff, Czaja, George Gordienko.
