Bharatpur, like Alwar, was once a part of the Matsya Desh of old. History binds itself inextricably linked with mythology; for it was here that the Pandava brothers are supposed to have spent their 13th year of exile some 3500 years back (see Mahabharata for the full story). and all of it is not hogwash, for there're some fine archaeological remains of this ancient civilization preserved in the Bharatpur Museum.