Chhachh

Chhachh or Chach (Hindko/Pashto) is a region located in Punjab, Pakistan between Peshawar and Islamabad at the northern tip of Attock, consisting of an alluvial plain extending from Attock District of Punjab, Pakistan, southwest of Topi and Swabi.

Etymology
Chach has been identified as the Chukhsa country of Gandhara in the Taxila copper plate inscription. The area is mentioned in various epigraphic material, such as the Taxila copper plate inscription, where it is described as a territory of the Scythian ruler Liaka Kusulaka.

Ancient History
Chach has been identified as the Chukhsa country of the Taxila copper plate inscription. The Chhachh region is located at the historical region of Gandhara Civilization, the ancient Indo-Aryan Civilization. The region was inhabited by the Indo-Scythians. Liaka Kusulaka was an Indo-Scythian satrap of the area of Chukhsa (Chach) during the 1st century BCE. Later the region was inhabited by Kabul Shahis and later was ruled by Hindu Shahis. Many rulers such as Alexander the Great, Mahmud of Ghazni, Timur, Nader Shah and Babur and their armies crossed the Indus River at or about this region in their respective invasions of India.

A silver jug found at Taxila indicates that Zeionises was the "satrap of Chuksa, son of Manigula, brother of the great king", but who this king was remains uncertain.



Middle Ages
The Battle of Chach was fought in 1008 AD between the Ghaznavid army of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni and the Hindu Shahi army of Anandapala, resulting in the latter's defeat. The Gakhars became vital in the hills to the east, but their dominion never extended beyond the Margalla pass. Ghakhars were defeated by the Kashmiri ruler Sultan Shihabu’d-din near Attock Khurd and continued under Kashmiri rule until the conquest of Babur.

Early Modren Period
The Battle of Attock (also known as Battle of Chuch) took place on 13 July 1813 between the Sikh Empire and the Durrani Empire. The battle was the first significant Sikh victory over the Durranis.

During British Rule the region became part of Attock Tehsil; the municipality of Attock which was created in 1867 and the North-Western Railway connected the town to Lawrencepur. The town is surrounded by rich cultivation, and from 20th century had a flourishing trade, chiefly in tobacco and sugar.

Geography
Chhachh is 7 km off the Pindi-Peshawar GT road. Chach is at the edge of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Punjab border. It is 20.4 km from Attock city and 22.9 km from Topi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.It is bounded on the north and west by the Indus River and is about 19 mi long (from east to west) and 9 mi broad.

Chhachh is a plain which rolls from the Hazara-Punjab hills south to Kamra, and from east of the River Indus to the broken lands near Lawrencepur.

Demography
The Chach Valley, consisting of 84 villages located along the Indus River. Percolation from the Indus makes the area extremely fertile. The region was surrounded by rich cultivation, and had a flourishing trade, chiefly in tobacco and sugar. The population of the area are primarily Punjabi, Pashtun and Kashmiri. People of this region speak Chhachi dialect of Hindko. It has a significant number of people living abroad. Pashto is also spoken by the Pashtun people of the area hailing from the Yusufzai, Barakzai, Ghilzai, Akakhel, Tareen, Dilazak, Lodi and Sadozai tribes.