Rani Rashmoni was born in Kona village in 1793. She was exceptionally beautiful and was married to Babu Rajachandra Das (Marh) of Janbazar, Kolkata, a member of a wealthy zamindar family, when she was eleven years old. They had four daughters but no sons.
After her husband's death in 1851, Rashmoni took charge of the zamindari and finances. She proved herself a capable administrator and the prestige of the zamindari grew. Rani Rashmoni, being very pious continued to lead an extremely religious and austere life, befitting a widow in Bengali Hindu society. She died on 19 February 1861.
The Rani and her clashes with the British in India became folklore. By blocking the shipping trade on a part of Ganges she compelled the British to abolish the tax imposed on fishing in the river, which threatened the livelihood of poor fishermen. When Puja processions were stopped by the British on the charge that they disturbed the peace, she defied the orders. The British had to withdraw the penalty imposed on her in the face of public opposition and rioting in her support.
Rani Rashmoni also had to her credit numerous charitable works. She oversaw the construction of a road from Subarnarekha river to Puri for pilgrims. She funded the construction of ghats: Babughat (in memory of her husband), Ahiritola Ghat and Nimtala Ghat for the daily bathers in the Ganges. Prince Dwarkanath Tagore had mortgaged a part of his Zamindari in now South 24 Parganas to Rani Rashmoni for his passage to England. This part of land which was then a part of the Sunderbans was marshy and almost uninhabitable except for some families of thugs who found the area convenient to stay and plunder. Rani Rashmoni persuaded these families to build up fisheries in the surrounding water bodies that later turned into large rich bheris. They gradually gave up their 'profession' of plundering and transformed into a community of fishermen. This was a great social reform that the Rani had initiated
She donated generously to the then Imperial Library (now the National Library of India) and Hindu College (now Presidency College). A divine revelation led her to found the famous temple Dakshineswar Kali Temple complex on the banks of the Ganges at Dakshineswar in the North 24 Parganas. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa (then known as Gadadhar) was appointed its head priest under her patronage.
Rani Rashmoni's House at Janbazar was the venue of traditional Durga Puja celebration each autumn. After her death in 1861, her sons-in-law took to celebrating Durga Puja in their respective premises
Monuments
• An avenue in Esplanade, Kolkata is named after her as Rani Rashmoni Avenue, where her statue is also located.
• A road is named after her as Rani Rashmoni Road near her ancestral house at Janbazar, Kolkata.
• A road is named after her as Rani Rashmoni Road at Dakshineshwar.
• The Department of Post of Government of India issued a postage stamp to memorialise the bicentennial of Rani Rashmoni in 1993
• A Ferry Ghat known as Rani Rashmoni Ghat has been built for ferry services in Barrackpore, West Bengal and in Hooghly, West Bengal (just after the Hooghly District Correctional Home)
• One of the 5 Fast Patrol Vessels of Indian Coast Guard has been named after Rani Rashmoni. It was commissioned in June 2018 and will be based in Visakhapatnam (indigenously built by Hindustan Shipyard).