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.

He continued to gain fame by defeating wild bands of central Asian invaders and by later campaigning against the Persians under the Mughal prince Dara Shukoh.

Ratan Singh fought the rebel army at Dharmatpur on 15 April 1658, most sources say that the Mughal generals deputed by Shah Jahan either fled or remained inactive throughout the battle.

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.

"[5] 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.