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.[1] In Ancient times Ratlam was included in Avanti region, known as Malwa from the 7th-8th century onwards.
[]Princely history
Ratlam was a princely state in British India, part of Malwa agency of Central India. For long period the Ratlam region was under rule of the Rathor's. The rulers 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 ShekhawatJi 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
- Ratan Singh (1656-58 A.D.)
- Ram Singh (1658-83 A.D.)
- Shiv Singh (1683-1691 A.D.)
- Keshav Das (1691-94 A.D.)
- Chattrasal (1702-1709 A.D.)
- Berisal,(move Jaipur)
- R. Abhey singh Jaipur
- R. Fateh singh Jaipur
- R. Sajet singh Jaipur
- R. Sumer singh Jaipur
- R. Pep singh Jaipur
- R. Karan singh Jaipur
- R. Bhom singh Jaipur
- R. Amar singh IPS Retired And his brother M. Vikram singh Jaipur
- R. Raghuveer singh Jaipur
- M. Vikram singh [6TH APRIL 1932 TO 25TH November 2007] #Shree Ji M.Natwar singh S/O M. Vikram Singh
- M. Chandarveer singh S/O Raja Amar Singh [Jaipur]
- M Pushpender singh S/O Raja Amar Singh [Jaipur]
[]Specialities of Ratlam
Ratlam is known for its savory snacks that are made from chick-pea flour, cloves, and pepper;.The Ratlami Sev is a speciality snack which is famous all over India, Daal Baati/Daal - Bafla, with laddu and clarified butter is traditional food of Malwa region which is also common in Ratlam.
Ratlam provides a good market for gold and silver with many shops selling a range of quality jewelry.
Looking to the strategic location of Ratlam due to its proximity to Gujarat and Rajasthan with itself in Madhya Pradesh, and being a prominent rail junction, this town is considered an important conduit for illegal opium grown in the neighbouring districts of Mandsaur and Neemuch.
In the movie Jab we Met, much of Kareena's railway station adventures occur in Ratlam.
[]Geography
Ratlam is located at 
23.329804°N 75.043402°E.[2] It has an average elevation of 488 metres (1601 feet). Major crops grown in Ratlam includes Wheat, Barley, Gram with some variety of fruits including Grapes.
[]Railways
Ratlam is a major junction and rail division 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 through Ratlam City, these are along Mumbai, Delhi, Ajmer and Khandwa, among which the railway track along Khandwa is a Meter Gauge track.
Ratlam is connected to Indore and Neemuch via National Highway no. 79.
[]Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[3] Ratlam had a population of 471754. 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.
