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.
The narrative texts of the Sangam literature are called Melkannakku. These are 18 major works consisting of eight anthologies and ten idylls. They are considered the works of heroic poetry in which heroes are glorified and perpetual wars and cattle raids during that time are frequently mentioned.
The Ikshavakus arose on the ruins of Satavahana power in eastern part of the peninsula in India. The Ikshavakus left behind many monuments at Nagarjunkonda and Dharanikota. They were a local tribe.