Bihari | SRGmPDNS | Hindustani Raga Index

S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S

Connected to historic folk tunes of the Bihar region, Bihari is popular as a setting for thumri and other romantic song styles. Its core movements lie close to Tilak Kamod, also drawing on Shuddha Nat, and sometimes featuring mishra flourishes. Kishori Amonkar’s renditions are among my personal favourites (bandish: “Sleep will not come to my eyes without seeing my beloved’s handsome face; Ages have gone by thinking about you; Oh one who decorates himself well, come now, only then can there be joy…”). Most at home when sung by Jaipur-Atrauli artists (Manik Bhide, Mallikarjun Mansur, Shruti Sadolikar), but performed to great effect by Imdadkhani sitarists (Shahid Parvez), Senia-Bangash sarodiyas (Amjad Ali Khan), and others. ‘Raag Bihari’ is also the title of a 2021 novel by Rakesh Varma.

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राग बिहारी

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—Shruti Sadolikar (2012)—

[refrain, e.g. 3:17] (N)S, S(m)R (P)m (D)PD, Pm m(PmP) D(nDP)mG, G(RSR)S, S, S\P, P(NS) S(N)R S, SS(m)R (P)m (D)PD (nD)Pm…

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• Recent Raga Index Updates (Dec 2025): Added new ragas: e.g. Asa, Basant Bahar, Badhans Sarang, Bayati, Chandni Todi, Chandraprabha, Deepavali, Firozkhani Todi, Gaud, Japaniya, Kaushiki, Latangi, Maru, Palas, Sarangkauns, Shivanjali, Shrutivardhini • ‘Bifurcations‘: analysis via ‘poorvang + uttarang’ formulas • DoGa Kalyan & the Beatles’ Blue Jay Way • Amir Khan’s ‘168 merukhands’ • Uncovered Prabhateshwari‘s origins • Transcribed Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar’s ‘Amodini‘ lec-dems • Experiments (e.g overtonal Bhairav, jazz Malkauns) • Survey of Sa Tunings • More Masterlist ragas (1000+)

• Classifiers •

Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):

Swaras: -4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+

Sapta: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Poorvang: SRGM | SRG | SRM | SGM

Uttarang: PDNS | PDS | PNS | DNS

Varjit: Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni

Double: rR | gG | mM | dD | nN

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

Chal: All-shuddha | All-komal | Ma-tivra

Gaps: Anh. | Hemi. | 3-row | 4-row | 5-row

Symmetries: Mirror | Rotation | Palindr.

Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Jati: Equal | Balanced | Av.+1 | Av.+2

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Murchana: Bhup. | Bihag | Bilaw. | Charu.

Raganga: Bhairav | Malhar | Kan. | Todi

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: Bilawal thaat, Bilawal, Tilak Kamod, Nat, Hem Bihag, Savani, Swanandi, Gagan Vihang, Maluha, Mand, Chaya Malhar, Hemant, Loom, Manjari Bihag

–Proximate Forms–

Khamaj = ‘Bihari komal ni‘

Patdeep = ‘Bihari komal ga‘

Yaman = ‘Bihari tivra Ma‘

Bihag = ‘Bihari double Ma‘

Nat Bhairav = ‘Bihari komal dha‘

Bhatiyari Bhairav = ‘Bihari komal re‘

(n.b. these are just ‘scalar similarities’, with nothing particular implied about phraseological overlap)

–Swara Geometries–

• Core form: S–R–G–m–P–D–N–S

• Reverse: SrgmPdnS (=Bhairavi)

• Negative: 3-2-3-2-2 (e.g. Malkauns)

• Imperfect: 1 (Ni)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (R—d)

• Murchanas: Bilawal set

• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’) • ‘Pa-repeating‘ (poorvang and uttarang take the same ‘semitone shape’)

–Global Translations–

• Carnatic: ~Sankarabharanam (mela #29)

S-R₂-G₃-M₁-P-D₂-N₃-S

• Jazz: Major / Ionian

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-4-5-7-9-11-0

(2–2–1–2–2–2–1)

o • o • o o • o • o • o o

• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Bihari, Bihar (not Bahar)

• Transliterations: Hindi (बिहारी)

—Amjad Ali Khan (2022)—

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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Homepage for more, and hit me up for Lessons!