Ratlam (Hindi:रतलाम), known historically as Ratnapuri, is a city in the Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The town of Ratlam lies 1577 feet above sea level. It is the administrative headquarters of Ratlam District.

Early history

Discovery of a few stone age tools, picked from three villages of Ratlam, proves the existence of the primitive man in the District. Among these, two microlithic sites were found in Jaora. In Ancient times Ratlam was included in Avanti region, known as Malwa from the 7th-8th century onwards.

Princely history

Ratlam is also a major railway junction on the western railway lines.It was famous for its Diamond crossing. Ratlam was a princely state in British India, part of Malwa agency of Central India. For long period the Ratlam region was under the rules of the Rathor's. The rules were Suryavanshi Rathors to which Maharaja of Jodhpur, Bikaner and Kishangarh belonged.The first Ruler was the Maharaja Ratan Singh,he married 12 wives (amongst others), Maharani Sukhroopde Kanwar Shekhawat Ji Sahiba, daughter of Kunwar Purshottam Das of Jhajhar (Shekhawati) in Rajasthan. She committed sati in 1658. The state had an area of 902 sq. mi., which was closely interlaced with the territory of the princely state of Sailana. In 1901, the state had a population of 83,773; the town of Ratlam had a population of 36,321. The state enjoyed an estimated revenue, Rs.34,000 and paid a tribute of Rs.2,850. The town was a junction on the Rajputana-Malwa Railway, and was an important trade centre, especially of opium.

Ratlam was initially held by its chiefs in vassalage to the Sindhia rulers of Gwalior, but in 1819, an arrangement was made by which the Sindhia engaged never to send any troops into the country or to interfere with the internal administration, and in 1861 the tribute was assigned to the British government in part payment of the Gwalior contingent.

Rulers of Ratlam

1. Ratan Singh (1656-58 A.D.)
2. Ram Singh (1658-83 A.D.)
3. Shiv Singh (1683-1691 A.D.)
4. Keshav Das (1691-94 A.D.)
5. Chattrasal (1702-1709 A.D.)
6. Berisal ,[move Jaipur]
7. R. Abhey singh [Jaipur]
8. R. Fateh singh [Jaipur]
9. R. Sajet singh [Jaipur]
10. R. Sumer singh [Jaipur]
11. R. Pep singh [Jaipur]
12. R. Karan singh [Jaipur]
13. R. Bhom singh [Jaipur]
14. R.Amar singh [IPS] Retired And his brother M.Vikram singh [Jaipur]
15. R.Raghuveer singh [jaipur]
16. M.Vikram singh [6TH APRIL 1932 TO 25TH NOVAMBER 2007]# M.Kumar Natwar singh S/O M. Vikram Singh
17. M.Chandarveer singh S/O Raja Amar Singh [Jaipur]
18. M Pushpender singh S/O Raja Amar Singh [Jaipur]

Others who belong in this category

• M. Kesari Singh
• M. Man Singh
• M. Prithvi Singh
• M. Padam Singh
• M. Parbat Singh
• M. Balwant Singh
• M. Bhairon Singh
• M. Ranjeet Singh
• M. Sajjan Singh
• M. Lokendra Singh
• M. Ranbeer Singh [basicly uncle generation of M. Berisal Ji]

Delicacies of Ratlam

Ratlam is known for its spicy snacks (known as Namkeen) that are made from besan, clove, and red chillis; specially Ratlami Sev. The most common meal at Ratlam is Daal Baati/Daal Bafla, with laddu and ghee. A famous indian style restaurent at dhaan mandi ..Tiwari daal baati centre.. is known for its Daal Baati with extra ghee and green chutney..

The common breakfast is tea with jalebi, poha, samosa and Ratlami sev. Ratlam is also famous for its gold jewellery. People from various parts of the country come to Ratlam for buying gold and gold jewellery.

Geography

Ratlam is located at . It has an average elevation of 488 metres (1601 feet).

Railways

Ratlam is a major junction on Indian Railways on meter and broad gauge lines. It comes under Western Railways zone of Indian Railways.

There are Four major Railway Tracks passes along Ratlam City, these are along Mumbai, Delhi, Ajmer and Khandwa, among which the railway track along Khandwa is a Meter Gauge track. Famous trains of Ratlam are Rajdhani Express, August Kranti Express, Golden Temple Mail, Paschim Express, Ajmer-Bandra Express, Swaraj Express, Rajkot Express, Okha-Varanasi Express, Sabarmati Express, Dehradoon Express etc.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Ratlam had a population of 221,267. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ratlam has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 69%. In Ratlam, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education

Ratlam has produced number of Administrators, Engineers, Doctors among others. The famous educational institutes of Ratlam are 1. Govt. Arts & Science Post Graduate College, Ratlam 2. Shree Guru Tegh Bahadur Academy, Shri Arvind Marg 3. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bajna Road 4. St. Joseph's Convent, Near Kalika Mata Temple

Property Deals

Property brokerage is one of the prominent business activities of Ratlam. One of the most important among them is Mr.Ashok Kumar Gandhi. He can be contacted for purchase and sale of all property in and around Ratlam. He can be contacted at +91-98270-85556 or 07412-234155. His email id is ASHOKGANDHI@indiatimes.com or ASHOKGANDHI_RTM@yahoo.co.in.

External links

• Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Ratlam
• St. Joseph's Convent School, Ratlam
• Ratlam official site
• Prestigeous Government Post Graduate College
• Shree Guru Tegh Bahadur Academy
• Kendriya Vidyalaya Ratlam
• Morning Star School Ratlam
• Ratlam Live
• My Ratlam
• Shree Guru Nanak Bakery Ratlam
• Nirog pharma Ratlam

References