MATSYA
Matsya
Kingdom was one of the sixteen Mahajanpads (great kingdoms). The
kingdom was established by an Indo-Aryan tribe of Vedic India.
Location
:
![](ancient_indian_kingdoms600bc.jpg)
Ancient
Indian Kingdoms in 600 BC
By the late Vedic period, they ruled a kingdom located south of
the Kurus, and west of the Yamuna river which separated it from
the kingdom of the Panchals. It roughly corresponded to the former
state of Jaipur in Rajasthan, and included the whole of Hindaun,
Alwar with portions of Bharatpur.
Jat
clans :
* Machhar
* Mathur
Mention by Panini :
Matsyika is mentioned by Panini in Ashtadhyayi.
History
:
The capital of Matsya was at Viratanagari (present-day Bairat) which
is said to have been named after its founder king, Virat. In
Pali literature, the Matsya tribe is usually associated with the
Surasen. The western Matsya was the hill tract on the north
bank of the Chambal River. Matsya kingdom was founded by king Matsya
who was the twin brother of Satyavati a who was contemporary to
Bhishma.
In
the early 6th century BCE, Matsya was one of the sixteen Mahajanpads
(great kingdoms) mentioned in the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya,
but its power had greatly dwindled and it was of little political
importance by the time of Buddha. The Mahabharata (V.74.16) refers
to a King Sahaj, who ruled over both the Chedis and the Matsyas,
which implies that Matsya once formed a part of the Chedi Kingdom.
Other
than the Matsya kingdom to the south of Kuru Kingdom, which falls
in the Hindaun and Alwar, Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan, the
epic refers to as many as six other Matsya kingdoms. Upaplavya was
a notable city of the kingdom. On the 13th year of Pandava's exile,
pandavas and Draupadi stay in matsya kingdom of King Virat.
Adhiraj
:
Vijayendra
Kumar Mathur has written ... Adhiraj ( AS , p.19): According to
Mahabharat Sabha Parv [31,3] Sahadev defeated King Dantavakra of
this country in the context of his Digvijay Yatra. - ‘Adhirajadhipam
Chaiv Dantavakram Mahabalam, Jigay Kardan Jeev Kritwa Rajeya Nyaveyayat’.
The mention of Adhiraj after Matsya indicates that this country
must have been close to Matsya (the latter state of Jaipur). But
Mr. no. La Dey is of the opinion that this was a later state of
Rewa.
Matsya
district: Dalip Singh Ahlawat :
Dalip Singh Ahlawat has written. Matsya district existed since ancient
times. Dasharan in the north of this district, Panchal in the south,
Navarashtra (Nauvar), Malla (Malava) etc. and Shalva were surrounded
by the Shursen. Sugriv also orders the apes to go to Matsya country
along with other countries in the south-west countries to search
for Sita ji ( VK Krishakhandakand, 41st canto ). In the Digvijay
of the Pandavs, Sahadev first conquered the Shursenis in the south
direction and then took Matsyaraj Virat under him (Mahabharat Samparv,
31st chapter). According to the article of Mahabharat Virat Parv.
Matsya
district was located on the land of Bharatpur, Alwar, Jaipur. Its
capital was Virat or Vairat Nagar, which is still located 40 miles
north of Jaipur. The king here was aged during the Mahabharata war.
He gave 2000 elephants as gift to Yudhishthir's in his Rajasuya
Yagna (Mahabharat sabha Parv, 52nd chapter; Verse 26th). This Virat
king, despite growing old, fought in the Mahabharat war towards
the Pandavs (Mahabharat Bhishma Parv 52nd chapter). This great King
was a very brave warrior. In the name of this, a chapter of Mahabharat
'Virat Parv' is famous.
The
queen of this great king, Sudeshn, was the sister of Keechak. At
Matsya Desh Pandavs came for their Agyatvaas with Draupadi. Uttara,
the daughter of the same king, was married to Arjunputra Abhimanyu.
The son of both of them, Parikshit succeeded the Hastinapur state.
King Virat's brother was Shataniq. Virat had two sons named Uttar
and Shwet. In the Mahabharata war, Madraraj Shalya killed the Uttar
and Bhishma killed the Shwet. Matsya Janpad was also one of the
16 Mahajanapadas of the Buddhist period. The symbol of the flag
of this republic was fish.
On
15 August 1947, when India became independent, the Government of
India formed the 'Matsya Union' by combining Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur
and Karauli out of the princely states of Rajputana and forming
the ' Rajasthan ' by merging the remaining princely states . In
June 1949, the four princely states of Matsya Union were also merged
in Rajasthan.
The
power of the Matsyavansh (Mathur) is found in the Jats. On behalf
of the state of Bharatpur, the Matsyavajas Jat Dheeraj Mathur and
Nath Mathur were appointed to conduct the court by making the ruler
of five villages named Karal, Pansali, Punth Khurd, Kiradi, Hastasar
near Delhi. The ruins of this office are still lying in Karala.
Settled in Kakan village (near Gohan) from this village itself.
Additionally fish Mtsr or Macr Jat Bijnor Brawn and Umrpur inhabit
villages. Rajasthan District Sikar in Khetri village belongs
to the Jats of Matsya or Machhar gotra.
In
Mahabharat :
Matsya is mentioned in Mahabharat (I.144.2), (1.158), (II.13.27),
(II.27.8), (II.28.2), (II.48.25), (IV.1.9), (V .19.12), (V.53.17),
(V.72.16), (V.158.20), (VI.10.38), (VI.18.13), (VI.20.12), (VI.52.4),
(VI.68.1 ), (VIII.30.60), (VIII.30.62), (VIII.30.73), (VIII.30.75),
(VIII.51.6), (IX.44.77).
Source
:
https://www.jatland.com/
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