Matsya was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas mentioned in the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya. The founder of the kingdom of the Matsya was Virata. It consisted of the present-day Alwar, Jaipur and Bharatpur.
Lothal is located between the Sabarmati river and its tributary Bhogavo, in the Saurasthra region of Gujarat. Its dockyard was well connected with the river Bhogavo.