Hara Huna Kingdom
Hara-Huna was an ancient Chinese kingdom and inhabited by the Hara Hunas tribe close to the Himalayas who had limited interaction with the Indian kingdoms, thus they were identified in the epic Mahabharata.
They lived in the Xinjiang province of China, east of Kashmir. However they were nomadic people who changed their settlements time to time.
The Pandava hero Nakula, visited this place during his western military campaign for collecting tribute for Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice. This could be a branch of Hara-Hunas migrated to the west of Ancient India.
References in Mahabharata
Nakula's Conquests
Nakula, after defeating the mighty Gramaniya that dwelt on the shore of the sea, and the Sudras and the Abhiras that dwelt on the banks of the Sarasvati River, and all those tribes that lived upon fisheries, and those also that dwelt on the mountains, and the whole of the country called after the five rivers (Punjab), and the mountains called Amara, and the country called Uttarayotisha and the city of Divyakutta and the tribe called Dwarapala, by sheer force, reduced to subjection the Ramathas, the Harahunas, and various kings of the west. (2,31)
Huna Kingdom
Hunas were a tribe close to Himalayas that, because of limited interaction with Indian kingdoms, were mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. They belonged to the Xinjiang province of China, east of Jammu-Kashmir. However, they were nomadic people who changed their settlements from time to time.
References in Mahabharata
Huna mentioned as a kingdom of Ancient India (Bharata Varsha)
Among the tribes of the north are the Mlecchas, and the Kruras, the Yavanas, the Chinas, the Kambojas, the Darunas, and many Mleccha tribes; the Sukritvahas, the Kulatthas, the Hunas, and the Parasikas; the Ramanas, and the Dasamalikas. (6,9).
According to Dr V. A. Smith, this verse of Mahabharata is reminiscent of the period (4th/5th century AD) when the Hunas first came into contact with the Sassanians dynasty of Persia (See: Early History of India, p 339, Dr V. A. Smith; See also Early Empire of Central Asia, W. M. McGovern).
The origin myth of Huna tribe
Mahabharata links the origin of Hunas with sage Vasishta. Viswamitra, a king in the Ikshwaku clan, attacked the cow of Vasishta. Then many armies emerged for the protection of that cow and they attacked the armies of Viswamitra. Cow symbolizes land, in ancient Indian scriptures. Thus this war was fought with the tribes allied with Vasishta for their own land. Other tribes that were mentioned along with the Hunas in this incident were Sakas, Yavanas, Savaras, Savaras, Paundras and Kiratas, and the barbarous tribes of Khasas, Chivukas, Pulindas, Chinas and numerous other Mlechchhas. (1,177)
