 Madhok came from a Jammu-based Khatri family with Arya Samaj leanings.His father Jagannath Madhok was from Jallen in the Gujranwala district of West Punjab, and worked as an official in the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in the Ladakh division.Balraj Madhok was born in Skardu, Baltistan and spent early childhood at Jallen.