S-rR-m-P-dD-S

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A truly strange scale, Kanakangi is a recent import from the South, derived from the very first raga on the Carnatic melakarta wheel. As such, all 7 generic swaras are set to their lowest possible positions: a principle which, under Hindustani axioms, would produce Bhairavi (SrgmPdnS) – however the Carnatic swara-system allows for ‘double-komal’ forms of ga and ni, enharmonic with the Northern shuddha Re and Dha positions. Thus, Kanakangi is equivalent to ‘Bhairavi double-komal ga & ni’ (SrRmPdDS) – with Bhairavi’s ‘poorvang=uttarang’ quality being retained (i.e. Kanakangi’s SrRm & PdDS both take the same interval pattern of ‘1-1-3’: compare to other ‘Pa-repeating’ ragas). Few Northern artists have yet attempted its challenging chromatic clusters, with the scattering of renditions I can find coming from sitarist Rushikesh Joshi, violinist Ajit Sengupta, and Dhrupad vocalist Ribhu Sanyal (along with mentions of Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan’s 1950s performances). However, it has been present in the Dagarvani lineage for even longer. Bahauddin Dagar – who has recorded the raga with a tendency towards ‘shuddha Re-Dha in ascent, komal in descent’, bringing chayas of Durga and Gunkali – recounts that “one of my father’s cousins, Fahimuddin Khan Dagar, knew a composition in Kanakangi in Dhrupad…we can adapt to anything!”. And, as proven by fascinating sources sent to me by Kaushik Balantrapu, Rahimuddin Dagar sung it even before this, and Naziruddin Khan Dagar was experimenting with dozens of Carnatic ragas as early as the 1930s – including a well-received melakarta demo at a 1934 Madras Music Academy conference (full tale below). Rao’s 1965 Raga Nidhi Vol.3 states, without elaborating, that “Kanakangi corresponds to the ancient Mukhari scale”. For further inspiration, listen to the original Carnatic incarnation, as well as a melodious filmi setting from 1991’s Ganamela which leans into the sequence’s bluesy possibilities – and compare to other ‘7-swara audavs’ including Jog Tilang (SgGmPnNS: the ‘reversal’ of Kanakangi’s scale form) and Rasikpriya (SgGMPnNS: the 72nd and final Carnatic mela, with all swaras set to their highest positions).

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राग कनकंगी

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: e.g. SRmPDS

Avroh: e.g. SdPmrS

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Pakad: variable, e.g. SDS; mRrS; SDdP

Chalan: (open-form) – e.g. SDS, DrS, dmPD, DS, DDS, RrS, rS DrS; SRm, mr, rS, SRm, mP, dmP, mP, mr, rS, mRrS; SRm, mP, rrS, RmP, PR, RrSDrS, SRmP, mPD, DmP, mPDS, DSRrS, DmPdP, ddP, mPdPMm, mr, rS, Dd, dPm, mrS, DS, Dr, rS (OoR/Dagar)

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—Bahauddin Dagar (1998)—

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[alap, e.g. 11:45] D(S), D(SD)rS, D(SDS), (S)R, (R)m, m(R), mmR, rS, (S)R, S(mR)m, m(R), D(SrS), RrS…

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• More •

Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…

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—Early Dagarvani-Carnatic borrowings—

Thanks to information kindly sent to me by Kaushik Balantrapu in 2026, I now know beyond any doubt that Northern artists were going deep into the Carnatic melakarta scales long before Ravi Shankar’s famed experiments of the 1950s.

 

In Balantrapu’s words, “I found the following two documents in the sources cited by Ashish Sankrityayan’s highly-recommended book Dhrupad of the Dagars: Conceptual Foundations and Contemporary Questions…The first is an article by musicologist S. K. Saxena about Rahimuddin Dagar, which mentions [p.9] a composition sung by Rahimuddin in ‘kinkangika’. The text seems to match the first few words of the Kanakangi composition in Chapter 13 of Sankrityayan’s book, which makes me think this is simply a misspelling of Kanakangi. The second is an excerpt from the Journal of the Madras Music Academy about a 1934 conference attended by Nasiruddin Khan, older brother of Rahimuddin and father of the Senior & Junior Dagar Brothers [p.156]:

 

“Naziruddin Khan, Palace Vidwan of Indore, stated that the melakarta scheme as now expounded in the ‘Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini’…existed 300 years before Venkatamakhin. This was proved, he stated, by the categorical mention of the 72 melakartas in four Dhrupads composed by Mr. Baiju Naik, who was said to have gone to the North from South India during the time of Allauddin Khiliji [1296-1316]. He then sang these Dhrupads, which were in Kalyan Asaveri (20th mela), Byag [Bihag?], and Bhairav (Mayamalavagaula). The rendering was very clear and pronounced, and was much appreciated by the experts who listened to the exposition with rapt attention. In each Dhrupad, the names of the 18 melas as mentioned in Venkatamakhin’s scheme were seen correctly incorporated…[He] also stated that he knew also 45 of these melakartas, and would demonstrate the same to any vidwan interested in the matter. He then demonstrated the first mela ‘Kanakangi’…a noticeable feature of which was that [Re and Dha] represented four different swaras.”

 

While I remain somewhat sceptical that all 72 of today’s named melakarta scales were in use in North India as early as the turn of the 14th century, the tale is undoubtedly fascinating. Further research to follow!

 

• Classifiers •

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

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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

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

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

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

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

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

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: (none found)

Also see other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Re-Ma-Pa-Dha‘

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–rR–m–P–dD–S

• Reverse: SgGmPnNS (=Jog Tilang)

• Complement: SgGMnNS

• Imperfect: 2 (dha, Dha)

• Detached: 0

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: Basant set

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• Quirks: ‘Pa-repeating‘ (poorvang and uttarang take the same ‘semitone shape’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: Kanakangi (mela #1)

S-R₁-G₁-M₁-P-D₁-N₁-S

• Jazz: Phrygian bb3 bb7

1-b2-bb3-4-5-b6-bb7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-1-2-5-7-8-9-0

(1–1–3–2–1–1–3)

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o o o • • o • o o o • • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (variable: e.g. Bahauddin Dagar uses Sa-ma)

• Names: Kanakangi

• Transliterations: Hindi (कनकंगी); Punjabi (ਕਨਕੰਗੀ); Kannada (ಕನಕಾಂಗಿ); Malayalam (കനകാംഗി); Tamil (கனகாங்கி); Telugu (കനകാംഗി)

—Rushikesh Joshi (2021)—