Born in Rampura in 1825 into the ruling Ahir family of Rewari, Rao Tula Ram was among the earliest and most consequential Indian leaders of the 1857 First War of Independence. When the sepoys of the Delhi cantonments rose in May 1857, he moved swiftly — overthrowing British authority across the Ahirwal belt of Rewari, Narnaul, Mahendragarh and Kanina, and organising arms, cavalry and cannon from local resources.
On 16 November 1857, at Nasibpur near Narnaul, his forces met the British column under Colonel Gerrard in a fierce battle. Though the field was ultimately lost, the resistance shattered the myth of British invincibility in the region and cost the coloniser their commander. Rao Tula Ram then rode westward, seeking help from Iran and Afghanistan for the freedom struggle — and died in Kabul in 1863, far from home, still working for India's independence.