Ghulam Muhammad Pahlwan was born in 1860 in Amritsar. He was the eldest of the brothers. His two brothers Kulu Pahlwan and Rahmani Pahlwan (grandfather of Bholu) also made their name in the world of wrestling. Ghulam's father Ali Bakhsh known as Alia Pahlwan was also a respected wrestler of his time. Ghulam Pahlwan learned the art of wrestling from his father Alia Pahlwan and later learned the rules of wrestling from his uncle Sulaiman Pahlwan. It was a time when every state had a few big wrestlers who fed on the state coffers. But Ghulam Pehlwan did not accept the patronage of any Raja Maharaja or feudal lord and entered the world of Pehlwani. He used to go to Dangals and make a name for himself by beating up any fresh wrestler he found.
