Ratlam

Ratlam lies in western Malwa, where the central Indian plateau connects routes between Gujarat, Rajasthan and the northern Deccan. Its surrounding countryside supported agriculture, livestock and exchange, while roads drew merchants and travellers through the district. Markets benefited from this position between larger regional economies. Local communities lived within a landscape shaped by Rajput households, cultivated villages and the changing demands of states seeking revenue from the productive plateau.

In the seventeenth century Ratlam became the centre of a Rathore Rajput ruling house linked to the Mughal court. Ratan Singh received the district under Shah Jahan and died fighting in the Mughal succession war in 1658. His successors faced changing imperial favour and divisions within the family; Ratlam was restored to Chhatrasal in 1705. Later Maratha expansion reduced the territory of the state.