He started as a personal attendant at the court of  Ranjit Singh, and after a hunting incident, where he killed a lion, he was awarded the title of Sardar and given the charge of a cavalry. He  was noted for his campaigns against the Afghans, and annexed a part of Kabul to Ranjit Singh's empire, later serving as Governor of Kashmir and Peshawar. He had a coin minted in his name, and a district in NWFP, Pakistan is named after him too .So fearsome was his reputation among the Afghans, that it is said the mothers would frighten their children into obedience, citing his name saying  "Raghe________  Gulan" .