Matsya () was a Vedic kingdom and later became a part of sixteen

Mahajanapada The Mahājanapadas were sixteen kingdoms and aristocratic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE, during the second urbanisation period. History The 6th–5th centuries BCE are often regarded as a ...

s, which also appears in Hindu Epic literature. The capital of Matsya was at Viratanagari (present-day Bairat, in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

) which is said to have been named after its founder king,

Virata Virata (, IAST ''virāṭa'') was the King of Matsya, a prominent figure in the Indian epic ''Mahabharata'', and the titular character of the epic's fourth book, '' Virata Parva'', which recounts the Pandavas’ year of ajnatavasa—incognit ...

Mention in Mahabharata

Matsya kingdom was founded by king Matsya who was the twin brother of

Satyavati Satyavati (, ; also spelled Satyawati) was the queen of the Kuru Kingdom in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. Satyavati is married to king Shantanu of Hastinapura, and is a great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes. She is also the m ...

and who was contemporary to

Bhishma Bhishma (), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, is a central figure in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was a statesman and military commander of the ancient Kuru Kingdom. Renowned for his wisdom, valor, and unwavering principles, ...

References

Kingdoms in the Mahabharata {{Hindu-myth-stub