Janapada of Matsya: Map & History
Matsya was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of central India whose existence is attested during the Iron Age.
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Matsya was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of central India whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The members of the Matsya tribe were organised into a kingdom called the Matsya kingdom.
Janapada of Matsya in Depth
History
The Matsya tribe was first mentioned in the Ṛgveda, where they appear as one of the opponents of Sudās during the Battle of the Ten Kings.
According to the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, the king Dhvasan Dvaitavana of Matsya performed an aśvamedha sacrifice near the Sarasvatī river. A forest on the banks of the Sarasvatī and a lake were both named after the king Dvaitavana.
Vedic texts such as the Gopatha Brāhmaṇa mention Matsya along with the Śālva tribe, and the Kauśītaki Upaniṣad connects them with the Kuru-Pañcālas. Later Puranic texts, such as the Mahābhārata, connect Matsya with Trigarta and Cedi, and the Manu-Saṃhitā lists the countries of Matsya, Śūrasena, Pañcāla, and Kuru-kṣetra, as forming the Brahmarṣi-deśa (the holy enclave of the brāhmaṇa sages).
Legacy
After the Indian independence in 1947, the princely states of Bharatpur, Dholpur, Alwar and Karauli were temporarily put together from 1947 to 1949 as the ″United States of Matsya″, and later in March 1949 after these princely states signed the Instrument of Accession they were merged with the present state of Rajasthan.
The Matsya Festival is held in Alwar every year in the last week of November to celebrate culture and adventure.
Location
The kingdom of Matsya covered an extensive territory, with the Sarasvatī river and the forests skirting it as its western border, and its southern boundaries being the hills near the Chambal River. Most of the kingdom comprised parts of present-day North-eastern Rajasthan. The neighbours of the Matsya state were Kuru in the north, and Sūrasena in the east.
The capital of Matsya was Virāṭanagara, which corresponds to the modern-day Bairāṭ in Jaipur district of Rajasthan.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Matsya (tribe) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Janapada of Matsya: Key Facts
| Capital | Viratnagar |
|---|---|
| Founded | 7th century BCE |
| Dissolved | 3rd century BCE |
Facts from Wikidata Q2665398 (CC0).
Janapada of Matsya Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Janapada of Matsya appears, with the other states of the time.
Janapada of Matsya Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 5,220 km² in 428 BCE.
Janapada of Matsya: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Janapada of Matsya exist?
Janapada of Matsya is dated to 600 BCE – 405 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Janapada of Matsya?
The capital of Janapada of Matsya was Virāṭanagara.
How large was Janapada of Matsya at its peak?
At its peak in 428 BC Janapada of Matsya covered about 5,220 km².
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