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Hund, is an ancient city on Indus River. Its old name was Udabhandapura.

Hiuen Tsang a
famous Chinese pilgrim who passed through this area in 644 A.D writes this name in his
own Chinese account as Wu-to-kia-han-cha.There are some other sources of information
too like, some Muslims historians write it as Waihand (often incorrectly pronounced as
Wihind) while others gives the form Ohand (again wrongly pronounced onhind in
modern books on history).While, from a Sarada inscription fount at Hund and also from
history of Kashmir Rajatarangi written in 12th century A.D., the same name, Hund is
found. Aurel Stein, a well known scholars who translated the Rajatarangini into English,
mentioned that the correct Sanskrit form of this name was Udakabhand (meaning water
pot) and the Wu-to-kia-han-cha and Waihand were its derivative forms. Aurel Steins
interpretation of the name however, seems to be rather far-fetched and does not appeal to
mind. It seems more probable that the original Sanskrit form of Udabhandapur was
Urdhvabhanapura meaning the upper town. Urdhva means Upper and its Persian and
Pashto equivalents are bala and bar respectively, as may be noticed in the name Tehkal
Bala or Bar Tahkal the name of a small town in suburb of Peshawar. The word bhianda,
at present softened to the form banda is still commonly used in the KPK as a name of a
small village or town. Hund is situated in the right bank of the river Indus above Attock.
According to the Hudud Al-Alam any anonymous tenth century works, Waihand was a
large town and also had a small population of Muslims. It received Indian merchandize
such as musk and other precious stuffs, and served as a trade emporium between India
and Central Asia . Muslim writer Maqadsi priase for Waihand is also mentionable and he
mentions its fine gradens, numerous streams, abundant rainfall, tall trees, cheap prices,
freedom from pests and general prosperity of its people. On the outskirts of the city, he
says, were walnut and almond trees and within it bananas and other fruits. The houses
were made of wood and dressed stone. The city itself was greater in size than Mansura
(Sind).
The Hund Salab inscription mentions Hund in glowing terms:
to the North of the Indus, which is a mass of complete merit here on earth, there
is a city by name Udabhanda, communities, just as Meru ( was made their home)
by the immortal gods and other supernatural beings ..Where in the Indus in
summer, rutting elephants, scorched by the rays of the sun , weary and confused
by thirst would always resort to..
It is also said, that the chief of kings Bhima, having conquered his enemies, the earth was
protected, he rested here. Kalhana, the author of the Rajataranginu refers to Udabhanda as
a place where kings (ousted from their own territories by their rivals) found safety .
Undabhandapura was the winter capital of the Hindu Shahi rulers one of whole ancestor,
Kallar, came to power in about A.D 822 after a successful coup detata.
In the end, the last Turk Shahi rulers, Lagaturman, was overthrown and imprisoned.
Kallar was succeeded by a series of powerful monarches who ruled much of Afghanistan.
North West Frontier Province and parts of Punjab, names of these rulers have mentioned
by Albiruni. A cotemporary Muslim writer who witnessed the fall of the Hindu Shahi
dynasty. Kallar was followed by Samantadeva (A.D. 850-870), Khudarayaka (AD 87080), Lalliya (A.D 880-902), Toramana (A D 903-921), Bhtmadeva (A .D 921-64),

Jayapaladeva (A.D 964-1002), Anandapala (A.D. 1002-1010) Trilcanapala (A.D 10101021) and Bhimapala (A.D 1021-1026). Albirunis remarks in this context are worth
quoting,
The Hindu Shahi dynasty is now extinct, and the whole house there is no longer
the slightest remnant in existence. We must say, in all their grandeur, they never
slackened in the ardent desire of doing that which is good and right, that they
were men of noble sentiment and bearing.
The most famous among these rulers was Jayapaladeva who put up a tough resistance
against the rulers of Ghazna, but went on losing terriories throughout his reign till he was
caputured by the forces of Mahmud Sabutkigin at Peshawar in A.D. 1001-2 Mahmud
took Hund and Swat during the same campaign. Jayapala was released after the payment
of a considerable, amount as ransom money, but, due to humiliation, he burnt himself to
death on reaching Hund. This ritual suicide might have absolved Jayapala of some sins to
which he seems to have ascribed his defeats, but it could not save Hund from further
onslaughts. Shortly afterward the capital was shifted to Nandana in the Salt Range
(Punjab). The city lived on for a while as a frontier town of the Ghanzavid Empire, but it
lost its glory, status and economic prosperity for ever. When Abdul Fazal passed through
this area in the sixteenth century the city had already been turned into heaps of soil.
Kalhana sorrowfully remarks at the demise of this great city:
One asks oneself whether, with its kings, ministers and its court it ever was or
was not.
Perceiving the great strategic importance of Hund as crossing point Akbar, well known
Mughal emperor, ordered the construction of a fort on top of these mounds. The work
was assigned to one of his general Raja Birbal. Throughout the Mughal period, Hund
served as a military outpost. A similar post was built across the river at Srikot. The
Mughal fort can still be seen in a much ruined condition. Hund in the pre-Hindu Shahi
period also must have been a important place. Alexander the great is said to have crossed
the river Indus at this place. According to the famous archaeologist Alexander
Cunningham, it was then known as Embolima. Alexnader stayed for some day and
offered customary sacrifices while Hepaistion, on of his generals, prepared a boat bridge.
Hund is last mentioned in historical accounts at the time which Sayed Ahmad Shahid,
after his success against the Sikh force in 1826 reached this place and was well received
by the Rais (Lords) of Hund known as Khadi Khan. It was here that the Syed found some
time out of his busy schedule to organize his troops and work out futher strategies. But
the Barakzai sarders of Peshawar who wanted to eliminate the Syed spread a network
intrigues against him and succeeded in alienating some of the incluential Khans of the
area who had been helping him during the campaign. Khadi Khan was also one of them.
He was killed when the troops of the Sayed invaded Hund in retaliation. We hear no more
of Hund after this . In fact the construction of a fort at Attock had already signalled the
death blow, for it provided a convenient crossing point and diverted the route to Peshawar
and then straight on to the Khyber Pass. Hund lost its strategic position for ever and so
also its prosperity.

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