Previous Year Question
Matsya Mahajanapada of 6th century B.C. was located in:
Western Uttar Pradesh
Rajasthan
Bundelkhand
Rohilkhand
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Matsya was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of ancient India. Its principal territory was situated in present-day Rajasthan. It broadly included areas around present-day Jaipur, Alwar and Bharatpur.
The capital of the Matsya Mahajanapada was Viratnagar, which is identified with present-day Bairat. Bairat is situated in present-day Rajasthan. The Archaeological Survey of India also identifies Bairat as ancient Viratnagar and the capital of Matsyadesa.
Viratnagar also occupies an important place in the Mahabharata tradition. It is regarded as the capital of King Virata, and according to tradition, the Pandavas spent the final year of their incognito exile in the Matsya kingdom.
By the sixth century BCE, many smaller Janapadas in northern India had developed into larger political units known as Mahajanapadas. Matsya was one of these, and its principal geographical territory lay in Rajasthan.