Viraata was the name of the ruler of Mathsya land. The name of his capital city too was Viraata. His clan and his forces ( in war references) are referred to as the Mathsyas.
He was a friend of Paandu and so was a natural sympathiser of the Paandavas. Without his knowledge, the Paandavas took shelter in his court in different jobs during their 13 th year of exile to live incognito. It was then that his brother-in-law
Keechaka forced Droupadi to court with him and eventually was killed by Bheema.
As a part of the strategies of the Kouravas to trace the Paandavas, he was attacked by
Susharma on the southern front of his capital. He was taken captive but was soon got released by
Bheema. On the next day, the Kouravas attacked on the northern front. Viraata's son Uththara who was alone on the guard of capital in his father's absence enterprised to attack the
Kouravas singly, taking the guised
Arjuna as his driver. A glimpse of the enemy army made him run away with fear but Arjuna took up the task and won the fight.
Pleased with his son's victory because of the then disclosed
Paandavas, he gave his daughter
Uththara to Arjuna's son Abhimanyu in marriage. It was their son Pareekshith that ruled the country after the Paandavas.
In the war,Viraata was one of the 7 generals on the Paandavas' side. He fought bravely and was killed by Drona on the 15 th day of the war.
The story reveals that he was a puppet in the hands of his army chief and brother-in-law Keechaka.That made him helpless in rendering justice in the dispute of Droupadi and Keechaka. His part in that episode tells us how dangerous a weak king in the control of the powerful wicked hands is to the society's law and order. Other than this, his character had no blemishes.