Hunas were a tribe close toHimalayas that, because of limited interaction with Indian kingdoms, were mentioned in the epicMahabharata. They belonged to theXinjiang province ofChina, east of Jammu-Kashmir. However, they werenomadic people who changed their settlements from time to time.
Among the tribes of the north are the Mlecchas, and the Kruras, theYavanas, theChinas, theKambojas, the Darunas, and manyMleccha 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 theSassanians dynasty ofPersia (See: Early History of India, p 339, Dr V. A. Smith; See also Early Empire of Central Asia, W. M. McGovern).
Mahabharata links the origin of Hunas with sageVasishta.Viswamitra attacked the cow of Vasishta. Then many armies emerged for the protection of that cow and they attacked the armies of Viswamitra. Thus this war was fought with the tribes allied withVasishta for their own land. Other tribes that were mentioned along with the Hunas in this incident wereSakas,Yavanas,Savaras, Savaras,Paundras andKiratas, and the barbarous tribes ofKhasas, Chivukas, Pulindas,Chinas and numerous other Mlechchhas. (1,177)
Yudhishthira, followed by the Patachcharas, the Hunas, the Pauravakas and the Nishadas, the Pisachas, with the Kundavishas, and the Mandakas, the Ladakas (Ladakh), the Tanganas, and the Uddras, the Saravas, the Tumbhumas, theVatsas and the Nakulas stood in the two wings of the battle-array namedKrauncharuma, formed by thePandava generalissimo,Dhristadyumna, on the second day of theKurukshetra War. (6,50)