Ratan Singh Rathore

Raja Ratan Singh (6 March 161915 April 1658) was the founder of the city of Ratlam and its eponymous Ratlam State, an imperial governor of 16 parganas in northern Malwa Subah, an important Mughal Subahdar of high rank and a renowned warrior of his time. He gained fame under the patronage of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

Family Raja Ratan Singh was born on 6 March 1619 as the eldest son of Rao Mahesh Das in Jalore Fort under the territory of his paternal home Marwar and his wife Kachwahiji (Rajawatji) Kusum Deiji, a granddaughter of Mirza Raja Man Singh I of Amber through his son Jhujhar Singh. His paternal grandfather, Kunwar Dalpat Singh was the son of Mota Raja Udai Singh of Marwar.

Two of his paternal aunts were married to Rao Chattarsal of Bundi who became the mother of his successor Rao Bhao Singh and his uncle Hari Singh younger brother of Rao Chattarsal and Rao Madho Singh founder of Kota, i.e. sons of Rao Raja Ratan Singh of Bundi.

Accession and career At a young age of twenty-three, Ratan Singh, armed with nothing but a dagger fought and controlled a mad elephant in Delhi and impressed its Emperor.

Recognition According to Karuna Joshi - "The Battle of Dharmat did not end after Jaswant Singh's flight from the war, but it was finished after the death of Ratan Singh." "Though Jaswant Singh fought bravely and got wounded, his escape from the battlefield was considered to be derogatory according to the custom of Rajasthan. So he obtained no place in the heroic poetry of Rajasthan. But Ratan singh's bravery, courage and sacrifice brought him name and fame which was amply described in the poems of contemporary poets like Khadia Jaga and Kumbhakaran Sada."

James Tod has written - "Of all the deeds of heroism performed on this day, those of Ratan of Ratlam by universal consent are pre-eminent and are wreathed into immortal rhyme by the bard in the Rasa Rao Ratna."

Successors His successors founded the states of Ratlam, Sailana, Sitamau.