A shrewd administrator and military tactician, Rao Raja Nandlal was the first in the family to be granted the formal title of “Rao Raja” by the Peshwas. In the early 18th century, he aligned with Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh and played a crucial role in aiding Malhar Rao Holkar’s entry into Malwa by revealing key Narmada crossings. His support was instrumental in the 1732 Battle of Tirla, which ousted the Mughal governor Daya Bahadur. Nandlal founded Nandlalpura and fortified the family’s influence across parganas, maintaining peace, prosperity, and sovereignty in a region otherwise fraught with imperial decline.