• Raag Namanarayani •

S-r-G-M-P-d-n-S


Equivalent to ‘Basant Mukhari tivra Ma’, the SrGMPdnS swara-set – known in Carnatic music as Namanarayani, the 50th mela – has barely been played in the North. I searched hard during my quest to find matching ragas for the 32 ‘sampurna thaat’ scales (=all those with one variant each of ‘Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni’), but at first couldn’t find a single Hindustani experiment under the Namanarayani name – and eventually, it became the only scale from the full set of 32 thaat to have no matching recording (in fact, I couldn’t track down any uses of the scale at all from outside South India: although Ian Ring’s fantastic scale database includes it under the title ‘Harsh Major-Minor’). The swara-set certainly presents idiosyncratic challenges: with an irregular poorvang-uttarang bifurcation of ‘Marwa+Bhairavi’ (SrGM+PdnS), 4 of the 7 swaras are ‘imperfect’ (=with no swara 7 semitones above them), giving a generally unresolved feel – and the rare ‘tivra Ma + komal nisangati weakens the role of Sa while pulling focus towards the MPd cluster, which can in turn offer hints of Todi, Poorvi, or Puriya Dhanashree. The raga also lies close to other seldom-heard Carnatic imports such as Rampriya (shuddha Dha instead) and Rishabhapriya (shuddha Re instead) – as well as Komal Ramkali (komal ga instead). My hope is that bold Hindustani artists will soon take on the challenge of Namanarayani’s curious geometries…send in your renditions! UPDATE (Aug 2026): Many thanks to rare raga expert and regular project contributor Moumita Mitra for rising to these challenges, and bringing the SrGMPdnS scale to life in the North under the name ‘DhaariNi‘ – interpreted via blending ideas from Puriya Dhanashree (rGMPdP) and Ramkali (MPdndP), along with shades of Ahir Bhairav (nSrG), Basant Mukhari (PdnSrG), and Bhairavi (PdnSrS) – watch her melodious explanation and bandish demo.


Raga Masterlist (1000+) •
राग नमनारायानी
Search | Glossary | Tags
Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SrGMPdnS
Avroh: SndPMGrS

Pakad: (undefined)
Chalan: (open-form)

BlackLineNARROWER

—Moumita Mitra (2026)—

(as ‘DhaariNi’)


[bandish, e.g. 16:19] M\rPd, MMPd d(nd) (d)PP, P(M) Pr G, MM(dM) MG MG Gr MG GrS, nnSSG(r), rG GMP, PM dP, d(nd) d(P), M\rPd

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!

BlackLineNARROWER

• Carnatic Origins •


—Ragam Namanarayani (mela #50)—
(Padmavathi Saranathan)

All ragas of Carnatic origin

• Recent Raga Index Updates (Sep 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+)

Salaman (Toumani Diabaté & Ballaké Sissoko): I’ve loved this composition since ripping it from a Frome Library CD when I was 14... Originally performed by the legendary kora duet on their ‘New Ancient Strings’ album, Based on ‘Tita’, a love song from Western Mali (...the b6 has a ‘between minor and major’ tuning...handled here with a messy bend)

And if you like this stuff then check out Derek Gripper, the true master of arranging Toumani Diabaté for the guitar! @derek_gripper 

#kora #worldmusic #mali #africanmusic #guitarsolo @toumanidiabatemusic @ballake.sissoko
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
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
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

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

Thaat: 10 | 32Enclosed | 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.

BlackLineNARROWER

• Prakriti: Thaat #12

BlackLineNARROWER

–Swara Geometries–

Core form: SrGMPdnS
Reverse: SRGmMdNS
Complement: SRgmDNS
Imperfect: 4 (Ga, Pa, dha, ni)
Detached: 2 (Ga, ni)
Symmetries: none
Murchanas: (none found)

BlackLineNARROWER

–Global Translations–

Carnatic: Namanarayani (mela #50)
S-R1-G3-M2-P-D1-N2-S
Jazz: Lydian b2 b6 b7
1-b2-3-#4-5-b6-b7-8
Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-1-4-6-7-8-10-0
(1–3–2–1–1–2–2)

o o • • o • o o o • o • o


BlackLineNARROWER

• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Namanarayani
• Transliterations: Hindi (नमनारायानी); Punjabi (ਨਾਮਨਾਰਾਇਣੀ); Malayalam (നാമനാരായണി); Tamil (நாமநாராயணி); Telugu (నామనారాయణి)

BlackLineNARROWER

 

• ‘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