of Ratlam was founded in 1829 by Captain Borthwick. Ratlam was one of the first commercial cities established in Central India. The city quickly became known for trading in opium, tobacco, and salt, as well as for its bargains called "Sattas". Before the opening of the Rajputana State Railway to Khandwa in 1872, there was no better place to trade than in Ratlam. The city is known for its love of food, its taste particularly the world popular salty snack 'Ratlami Sev'. The purity of Gold Jewellery and Saree Market of Ratlam outshines in India. Ratlam was part of the Malwa Agency of Central India during the British Raj. The state's capital was Ratlam town in modern Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh. Ratlam was originally a huge state, but the then ruler Ratan Singh opposed Aurangzeb in the Battle of Dharmatpur and was killed after a brave fight. The state was then reduced and the title of Maharaja has eventually stripped away; the title was later restored by the British during Maharaja Sajjan Singh's rule. On 5 January 1819 Ratlam State became a British protectorate. The state had an area of 81,767 sq mi, which was closely interlaced with the territories of the princely state of Sailana. In 1901, Ratlam State had a population of 83,773, with the city population of 36,321. The state had an estimated revenue of £34,000 and paid a £2,850 tribute. Geography Ratlam is located at coordinates: (23.316667, 75.066667). The city has an area of . It is very close to the borders of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Climate Ratlam, like most of Madhya Pradesh, has humid subtropical climate (Cfa) zone. Three distinct seasons are observed: summer, monsoon and winter. Summers start in mid-March and can be extremely hot from April through June. Highs can reach , although the humidity is extremely low. The monsoon season starts in late June, with temperatures averaging around , with sustained, torrential rainfall and high humidity. The average rain fall is . Winters start in mid-November and are dry, cool and sunny. Temperatures average about , but can fall close to freezing on some nights. Ratlam gets moderate rainfall of from July through September, due to the southwest monsoon. Demographics According to the 2011 Census, the city of Ratlam has a population of 264,914 of which 134,915 are male and 129,999 are female. The sex ratio is 964 females to 1000