Gama Pehalwan's 124th Birthday: Top five little known facts about India's greatest wrestler - In Pics

Gama's daily training consisted of grappling with forty of his fellow wrestlers in the akhada (court). He did a minimum of five thousand baithaks (squats) and three thousand dands (Indian word for pushups) in a day and even sometimes more within 30 to 45 minutes each by wearing a doughnut-shaped wrestling apparatus called a Hasli of 1 Quintal (approx. 100 kilos).

Undefeated in a career spanning more than 52 years, he is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

 

Bruce Lee 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.

Baksh was awarded a version of the World Heavyweight Championship on 15 October 1910. Gama won the Indian version of the World Heavyweight Championship (1910) and the World Wrestling Championship (1927). After winning the WWC in 1927 he was named 'Tiger' of the tournament. The wrestler also received a silver mace from the Prince of Wales. 

 

The Great Gama's real name was Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt.