• Raag Deepak •

(S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S)


Strictly speaking, Deepak is a ‘lost raga’, known to us through its status as Tansen’s fabled fire-bringing melody – said to have set off uncontrollable blazes when he sung it with full force at Emperor Akbar’s royal palace (…and requiring Megh to extinguish it). But, while its original swaras have been lost to the winds of time, many have sought to reignite the spirits of these ancient tales – with three disparate Deepak varieties having developed in recent generations: Bilawal-ang, Poorvi-ang, and Khamaj-ang (although, given the reimaginative nature of such projects, interpretations can vary wildly even within these three categories). Tantalisingly, while the Deepak of Tansen’s era is hardly likely to have just ‘disappeared’, we will never really know which modern ragas may have absorbed its essences.


Raga Megalist (365+) •
Search | Glossary | Tags
Hindustani Raga Index •

BlackLineNARROWER

—Ghulam Mustafa Khan (2002)—


[Poorvi-ang bandish, e.g. 1:56] PdP, S/rS, (P)GPG, (G)r, S, P (P)SS, SS rr, S, G r S, r S; P(d)P, (P)GPG, (G)r, S…

BlackLineNARROWER

• Ragmalas •

Historic miniature paintings (learn more)

“Dipak Raga riding an elephant, with four female attendants (an illustration of Diwali)…” (Penn, c.1800)

“Dipak Raga, from a folio attributed to Jai Kisan” (Malpura, c.1756) / “Raga Dipak, opaque watercolor on paper” (Jaipur, c.1760)

BlackLineNARROWER

• 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 | 32Enclosed | 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.

BlackLineNARROWER

• Prakriti: (uncodified)

BlackLineNARROWER

–Swara Geometries–

Core form: S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S (if Bilawal-ang)
Reverse: SrRgmPdnS (=Gandhari)
Negative: 5-2-3-2
Imperfect: 1 (Ni)
Detached: none
Symmetries: mirror (Gm—nN)
Murchanas: Bihag set

BlackLineNARROWER

–Global Translations–

Carnatic: (~Begada)
S-R2-G3-M1-P-D2-N2-N3-S
Jazz: Bebop Dominant
1-2-3-4-5-6-b7-7-8
Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-4-5-7-9-10-11-0
(2–2–1–2–2–1–1–1)

o • o • o o • o • o o o o


BlackLineNARROWER

• Tanpura: (Sa–Pa)
• Names: Deepak, Dipak, Dipaka, (~Dagori)

BlackLineNARROWER

—Shujaat Khan (~2000s)—

BlackLineNARROWER

 

Get started with learning raga! •

Share these ragas! My site is 100% reliant on organic visitors (and none of your donations go to ad agencies…) – share this with fellow sonic searchers!

[MORE TO FOLLOW]

Like everything on my site, the Raga Index will always remain open-access & ad-free: however, anti-corporate musicology doesn’t pay the bills! I put as much into these resources as time and finances allow – so, to hasten the project’s expansion, you can:

Support the Raga Index! •

—Riyaz-focused notations & bandish—
—Resurrecting rare and ancient ragas—
—Further melodic & geometric analysis—
—Engaging with Hindustani performers—
—Ensuring that high-quality raga knowledge will remain open to all, at no cost: free from commercial motive!—

 

Hindustani Raga Index

An open-ended project seeking to bring North Indian raga closer to all who approach with open ears. Combines direct input from dozens of leading Hindustani artists with in-depth insights from music history, global theory, performance practice, cognitive science, and much more! [out 2023-24]

Megalist (365+ ragas)
Search: Find your new favourite •
Tags: Classifying the ragascape •
Glossary: Raga jargon demystified
Murchanas: Swara-set rotations •
Thaat: Bhatkhande’s base scales •
Ragatable: Analytical connections •
Tanpuras: Divine overtonal drones •
Quotes: Musings from raga artists •
Talas: Hindustani rhythm cycles •
Sa | Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni
[Random Raga]

—Search the Raga Index—

Feedback / Contact •

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!

Projects & articles: full list •

everything 100% ad-free and open-access