S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S
An enchanting but seldom-heard raga, taking the swara set of ‘Kalyan double-Ma’ (n.b. ‘Lakshmi’ refers to the Hindu goddess of power, prosperity, and fortune). Described by slide guitarist Deepak Kshirsagar as “a combination of Shuddha Sarang and Shyam Kalyan, [although] some combine Shuddha Sarang and Kamod..or use [the swaras of] Shyam Kalyan in the Sarang chalan…It is sung in the evening…Shri Vamanrao Bhat conceived the raga in memory of his mother” [n.b. it is unclear who ‘Vamanrao Bhat’ may be: the only semi-plausible name-match I’m able to trace is a 1930s Marathi film director, noted for his “tales of the absurdities of middle class existence”]. Kirana vocalist Arshad Ali Khan, one of only a few to have made a raga by this name a regular part of their repertoire, also includes komal re and ni, allowing for chayas of Vachaspati (nDnPMG) and Puriya Kalyan (NrGrS) – and Maihar surbahar artist Indrajit Banerjee also features both these extra swaras, restricting use of komal re to emphatic descending lines (NSG(M)P, MG, MGrGrS), and mostly avoiding komal ni. Further information is hard to come by: don’t hesitate to send me what you know!
• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग लक्ष्मी कल्याण
Search | Glossary | Tags
• Hindustani Raga Index •
—Deepak Kshirsagar (2019)—
[alap phrases, e.g. 4:56] G\R(GR) P\M(PM), (P)MP/N N(DP), R(MR)P (M)P/S\N, S(NSN)S, (M)P/N\S, S S, S(NS), P/S(NSN)R, R R, P/S(NSN)R S(NS) N, P(MPM)D M(PMPM)m(G), G(mGmG)…
Support open-access, AI-free raga musicology by joining my PATREON. And to learn raga & global music on guitar, try some online lessons: get in touch to book a free taster session!
• More •
Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…
—Imagery: Goddess Lakshmi—
“Lakshmi, Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune. The wife of Vishnu, she is said to have taken different forms in order to be with him in each of his incarnations. Thus, when he was the dwarf Vamana, she appeared from a lotus and was known as ‘Padma’ or ‘Kamala’ (both of which mean ‘lotus’); when he was the axe-wielding Parashurama, the destroyer of the warrior class, she was his wife Dharani; when he was King Rama, she was his queen Sita. In the most prominent account of Lakshmi’s birth, she rose from the churning of the ocean of milk, seated on a lotus and holding another in her hand…” (Britannica)
• Recent Raga Index Updates (Jul 2026): Melodic ‘snapshots’ of prachalit ragas • Up to 365 raga pages! Some highlights: Bayati, Basant Mukhari, Bilaskhani Todi, Chandranandan, DoGa Kalyan, Jog, Kalavati, Kaushiki, Malkauns, Maru, Meladalan, Parameshwari, Sarangkauns, Vachaspati (+ try out ‘Audav Meladalan‘) • What does ‘Kauns’ mean? Analysing 60+ Kauns ragas • ‘Bifurcations‘: ‘poorvang vs. uttarang’ splits • Amir Khan’s ‘168 merukhands’ • Experiments (e.g. overtonal Bhairav, jazz Malkauns) • Survey of Sa Tunings • More Masterlist ragas (1000+)
Raag Jog: exploring different ways the electric guitar can support a Dhrupad-ang nomtom (syllabic improvisation)…
(From ‘Around the World in Eight Ragas’: my show with Ashwin Baliga & Marc Clayton at Mehfil Space on 11 Jun 2026) @ashwinbaligaofficial @marc_plays_tabla @mehfilspace
#dhrupad #raga #indianmusic #icm #worldmusic
Jun 28
Raag Kafi: Electric guitar improv around the adha bandish ‘Aaj Khel Shaam Sang Hori’
(From ‘Around the World in Eight Ragas’: my show with Ashwin Baliga & Marc Clayton at Mehfil Space on 11 Jun 2026) @ashwinbaligaofficial @marc_plays_tabla @mehfilspace
#raga #indianmusic #icm #worldmusic #ragaguitar
Jun 22
Raag Jog: some sawal-jawab (‘question-answer’) fun with Marc Clayton on tabla
(From ‘Around the World in Eight Ragas’: my show with Ashwin Baliga & Marc Clayton at Mehfil Space on 11 Jun 2026) @ashwinbaligaofficial @marc_plays_tabla @mehfilspace
#raga #indianmusic #icm #worldmusic #ragaguitar
Jun 15
Some tintal improv around a wonderful Durga bandish I’ll be playing at @mehfilspace @the_rose_hill in Brighton on Thu 11th June! with vocalist @ashwinbaligaofficial and @marc_plays_tabla
https://therosehill.co.uk/event/the-mehfil-space-presents-around-the-world-in-8-ragas/
‘Around the World in 8 Ragas’: exploring cross-cultural melodic forms (e.g. scales that turn up independently in Japan, India, Mali, etc)
#indianmusic #raga #icm #brightonmusic #ragaguitar
Jun 10
Come see me play some bendy raga-guitar at @mehfilspace @the_rose_hill in Brighton on Thu 11th June! with vocalist @ashwinbaligaofficial and @marc_plays_tabla
https://therosehill.co.uk/event/the-mehfil-space-presents-around-the-world-in-8-ragas/
‘Around the World in 8 Ragas’: exploring cross-cultural melodic forms (e.g. scales that turn up independently in Japan, India, Mali, etc) – including this piece, a famous Bhairavi bhajan by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi (Jo Bhaje Hari Ko Sada)
#bhajan #raga #indianmusic #brightonmusic #ragaguitar
Jun 5
tomato can jungle/DnB (distracted while cooking)
#drumming #percussion #dnb #jungle
May 23
A great Jaunpuri gat from Senia-Shahjahanpur sarod legend Pt Buddhadev DasGupta, full of fast bends and slides (originally released for Joep Bor’s 1997 Raga Guide, in many ways a precursor to my own raga index)
Raag Jaunpuri: a late morning raga, likely originating in the Sultanate-era music of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh (as per Subodh Agrawal: “The rulers of Jaunpur were keen patrons of the arts, and the last one – Sultan Hussain Sharqi – was himself a distinguished musician; it is probable that the Jaunpuri flavor of Asavari was developed by him, or under his patronage“). Rajan Parrikar elaborates on its “Asavariant” status, noting that some (including Omkarnath Thakur) see it as essentially indistinguishable from Shuddha Re Asavari, while others consider Jaunpuri to follow more ‘rounded’ melodic motions…
#sarod #ragaguitar #stratocaster #worldmusic #jaunpur
May 6
just for fun…I had to defend the honour of my main instrument against my second instrument (many thanks to @mountainhead for the original video, as well as some tasty bends) – still no match for the surbahar’s meend range though!
#sitar #guitar #raga #bends #ragaguitar
May 4
• 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
Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact
Chal: All-shuddha | All-komal | Ma-tivra
Gaps: Anh. | Hemi. | 3-row | 4-row | 5-row
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: Bihag, Nand, Hameer, Kamod, Maru Bihag, Pat Bihag, Chayanat, Gaud Sarang, Shyam Kalyan, Khem Kalyan, Sanjh Saravali
See all shadav ragas which omit Ga – and compare to other members of the Kalyan and Sarang ragangas
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–R–G–mM–P–D–N–S
• Reverse: SrgmMPdnS
• Complement: SrgdnS
• Imperfect: 1 (Ma)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: mirror (mM—NS)
• Murchanas: Bihag set
• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ~Behag
S-R2-G3-M1-M2-P-D2-N3-S
• Jazz: Lydionian
1-2-3-4-#4-5-6-7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-4-5-6-7-9-11-0
(2–2–1–1–1–2–2–1)
o • o • o o o o • o • o o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Lakshmi Kalyan, Laxmi Kalyan
• Transliterations: Hindi (लक्ष्मी कल्याण); Bengali (লক্ষ্মী কল্যাণ)
—Arshad Ali Khan (2019)—
• ‘Guitaragas’ | My Music •
See more raga-guitar on my Instagram
• Learn ragas & filmi on guitar! •
Share these ragas! My site is 100% reliant on organic visitors – send this page to fellow sonic searchers!
—Join my PATREON!—
The Raga Index will always remain open-access & ad-free: however, this approach 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—
—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 besides!
–Masterlist (1000+ ragas)–
• Search: Find your new favourite •
• Tags: Classifying the ragascape •
• Glossary: Raga jargon demystified •
• Murchanas: Swara-set rotations •
• Thaat: Bhatkhande’s base scales •
• Bifurcations: Poorvangs/uttarangs •
• Ragatable: Analytical connections •
• Kaunsis: Listing 60+ Kauns ragas •
• Tanpuras: Divine overtonal drones •
• Quotes: Musings from raga artists •
• Talas: Hindustani rhythm cycles •
• Instruments: Singing sculptures •
¡Random Raga!
—Search the Raga Index—
(NEW: search by swaras/varjits)
• 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 •
(Get in touch for Zoom lessons!)
my site is ad-free, AI-free, & open-access