Gulab Chand, a cousin of Guru Gobind Singh, was the son of Bhai Sadhu, a Khosia Khatri of Malla, in present-day Faridkot district of the Punjab, and Bibi Viro, daughter of Guru Hargobind and elder sister of Guru Tegh Bahadur. As recorded in Guru Gobind Singh's autobiographical poem Bachitar Natak, Gulab Chand and his four brothers (Jit Mall, Sango Shah, Mahri Chand and Ganga Ram) took a heroic part in the battle of Bhangani, near Paonta, now in Himachal Pradesh, fought on 18 September 1688. Guru Gobind Singh describes Gulab Chand, in his account of the battle in his poetical work, Bachitar Natak, as a mighty hero "whose face lightened up at the prospect of joining action on the field of battle."