| Hund | |
| Native Name: | (Urdu) Pushto; Pashto: هنډ (Pashto) |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Image Alt: | Symbol of Hund Village |
| Etymology: | Possibly from Sanskrit "Udabhandapura" meaning "city of water pots" or "high village" |
| Nickname: | (Swabi Ka Paris – صوابی کا پیرس)[1] |
| Pushpin Map: | Pakistan |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location of Hund in Pakistan |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Hund in Pakistan |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Mapframe: | Yes |
| Coordinates: | 34.0174°N 72.4313°W |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Right bank of the Indus River |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Pakistan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Swabi District |
| Subdivision Type3: | Tehsil |
| Subdivision Name3: | Lahor Tehsil |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | Ancient (pre-4th century BC) |
| Established Title1: | Historical Significance |
| Established Date1: | Capital of Turk Shahi and Hindu Shahi dynasties |
| Founder: | Unknown (ancient origins) |
| Parts Type: | Union council |
| Parts: | Khunda |
| Government Type: | Local government |
| Governing Body: | Swabi District Administration |
| Leader Title: | Nazim |
| Leader Name: | Israr Khan[2] |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Note: | Total area includes agricultural and residential land |
| Area Total Km2: | 28.09 |
| Area Total Ha: | 2809 |
| Elevation M: | 340 |
| Population Footnotes: | [4] |
| Population As Of: | 2023 census |
| Population Total: | 13,897 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Note: | Pathan population |
| Population Demonym: | Hundian |
| Timezone1: | PST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 23560 |
| Area Code Type: | Calling code |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Languages |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Pashto, Hindko, |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Historical rulers |
| Blank Info Sec2: |
|
| Footnotes: | Hund is home to the Hund Museum, preserving artifacts from Gandhara and Hindu Shahi periods. |
Hund, known in antiquity as Udabhandapura,[5] is a small village in Swabi district, situated on the right bank of the Indus River in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is about 15 km upstream of Attock Fort and is located 80 km to the east of Peshawar.
It was the site of Alexander the Great's crossing of the Indus in 327 BC, and an important site of Gandhara ruins.[6] It is also the site of Hund Museum.
It was Turk Shahi capital of Gandhara, which possibly functioned as a winter capital alternating with the summer capital of Kabul, within their kingdom of Kapisa-Gandhara in the 7-9th century AD.[7]
Hund was also the last capital of Gandhara, following Charsadda (then Pushkalavati) and Peshawar (then known as Purushapura), under the Hindu Shahi rulers until the beginning of 11th century AD, when Mahmud of Ghazni defeated Anandapala, the last Hindu Shahi ruler in Gandhara. The Hindu Shahi capital was then shifted to Nandana in the Salt Range, Punjab.[8] It has also been said that the Mongol invader Genghis Khan also followed Khwarezm Shah up to Hund, before the prince jumped into the Indus River on his way to India.[9]
The village Hund is surrounded by a fort, remains of which are still visible. There were four gates of the walled city which are visible till to date and were used as entry and exit points. It is said that of the walled city a deep trench was also dug to control un authorized entry. The trench was crossed by a movable wooden bridge which used to be lifted at night by the guards of the gates and Garrison closed at night. According to some historians there was a tunnel inside the walled city which connected Hund Garrison with Attock Fort so that both Garrisons can reinforce each other in case of attack and used the tunnel as a withdrawal route in case a Garrison fell into enemy hands.
Old relics and remains of ancient civilizations have been found in the village after excavation work was undertaken by the government in recent past. The history and past glory of the Hund has been preserved by the govt by constructing a museum in the village on the bank of river Indus. A replica of tower of Olympia has also been constructed watching the mighty Indus in the memory of Alexander the Great who crossed river Indus and stayed in Hund during his last military campaign of the Indian subcontinent.
Before the partition of India, the village had a mixture of Hindu and Muslim population. Remains of Hindu worship places and their residences were visible till near the past, however some are now nearly non-existent after increase in population. After the partition, most of the non-Muslims left for India. Soon the village was mainly inhibited by Pathans who later on invited artisans from other clans and casts to settle down in the village so as to make it an independent entity. The settlements of Balar Khel are mainly in villages Zaida, Maini, Yaqubi, Yar Hussain, Hund, Ambar, Lahor, Kaddi and Panj Pir in Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.Hund also had the unique honour to be the capital of a Hindu Maharaja and a military garrison of Akbar. According to historians, Hund is one the oldest surviving cities in the world.
