Haripur & Havelian

Introducing Haripur & Havelian

Haripur, a dusty and chaotic town 34km north of the Grand Trunk Rd, was once Hazara’s ‘capital’. It was founded in 1822 as the headquarters of the Sikh General Hari Singh, after whom it’s named. In 1853 the British moved all its administrative functions to Abbottabad, and Haripur’s importance waned.

Half an hour north of Haripur is Havelian, another nondescript bazaar, with one claim to fame: it’s the official southern end of the KKH, and there was already a road through to Abbottabad before the KKH was even an idea. But there is a kind of geographical boundary: from here the road leaps out of the plain into the hills, rising nearly 500m in the 15km to Abbottabad.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009