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.
Ashoka was a patron of Buddhism therefore he used many symbols that are relevant in Buddhism as motifs in the Ashokan pillar. According to Buddhist tradition, Buddha entered his mother’s womb in the form of a white elephant.