S-r-G-M-D-N-S

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A prominent sunset raga, Puriya takes the same six swaras as Marwa and Sohini, reworking them to present a distinct set of melodic forces. Renditions tend to focus on mandra and madhya saptak, seeking a relatively even balance between ascending and descending phrases – with its character often considered more ‘melodic’ than Marwa (which is comparatively ‘geometric’). Some describe its mood as one of ‘sombre piety’, while others find more playful essences in its strange vibrations, built around a strong Ga–Ni sangati and MMG pakad. Beloved by Kirana vocalist Bhimsen Joshi, the raga is also said to have captivated a young Bhatkhande (“I heard Puriya from a famous Muslim gayak, and for a few moments I was lost to the world…”).

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Aroha: NrGMD, NrS

Avroh: SNDM, GMD, GMGrS

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Pakad: e.g. NrGM; NMG; MMG

Chalan: illustrative sequences e.g. NDNrG; NrGM; GMDN; NMG; GMD; GMG; MMG; MGrS

• Sa is skipped in ascending lines (NDNrG; NrGM), often followed by patient, poorvang-resolving ornaments such as G(MG); N(D)M; M(DM)G – with MGrS used as a final concluding phrase

• The Ga-Ni vadi-samvadi axis is strong, highlighted via dynamic phrases such as GMDN; NMG; NDNrG (although Ni can be circumvented in aroha as GMDNDS) – with some considering M(M)G to be the essential pakad

• Renditions tend to focus on mandra and madhya saptak (particularly the GMDNSrGM space above low Ga) – and tend to seek an even balance between ascending and descending motions (e.g. GMDNM; MDGMG)

• Shares its SrGMDNS swara-set with Marwa and Sohini, but invites a less ‘severe’ treatment than Marwa, and a less ‘flirtatious’ character than Sohini – distinguished by a stronger role for low Sa in descent, and an ‘ati-komal’ sruti for re (often bent from below as N(S)r)

• Associated with the post-sunset hours (‘ushering in the dusk‘), and considered to hold a ‘devotional, spiritual’ quality – calling for introspective renditions at restrained tempos

–Bismillah Khan (1993)–

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”Many years ago, I heard Puriya from a famous Muslim gayak. For a few moments, I was lost to the world. You cannot imagine the magnitude of the effect that this music wrought on my person…” (V.N. Bhatkhande)

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—Context—

Origins, myths, quirks, & more

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[COMING SOON: click here to hasten the project’s expansion, so all 365+ raga pages can eventually look more like these]

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—Phraseologies—

Melodies, movements, characteristics…

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[coming soon]

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—Sanskriti demo (2019)—

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“The dominant swaras in Puriya are Ga and Ni. According to some, the re in Puriya is a ‘suppressed micro-swara‘ of the normal komal re (Vilayat Khan utilizes this routinely by pulling the string from base-Sa). Puriya makes normal use of base-Sa (which Marwa discourages, and Sohini virtually ignores). In the ascent towards upper Sa, the raga encourages omission of Dha and Ni, and in the descent, Dha and Ga are recommended for subliminal treatment. Despite the poorvang centre of gravity, Bhatkhande considers it permissible for Puriya to descend deep into the lower octave down to [mandra] Ga. Amir Khan, whose Puriya is a landmark, used this feature generously. Vilayat Khan does not do so, and retains a strong middle-octave focus…” (Deepak Raja)

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—Listen—

A brief selection of superb renditions

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–Roopa Panesar (2011)–

• Imdadkhani sitar (10m): the British-based sitar star lays down one of her best performances to date, live at Darbar 2011 with the support of Sukhvinder Singh’s ever-stellar tabla. In Panesar’s own words, shortly before the concert, “Growing maturity has drawn me into music that is devotional and spiritual, such as Puriya, which is my current favourite” (also hear her Imdadkhani forerunner Vilayat Khan play the same gat):

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[refrain, e.g. 2:01] (N)S, NDNrG, G(M) G(M)G, r(S)S (N)S; (N)S, NDNrG…

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–Bhimsen Joshi (1973)–

• Kirana khayal (18m): perhaps the raga’s foremost modern exponent (as told to me by Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande: “certain artists are associated with particular ragas, like Bhimsen Joshi with Puriya: their wavelengths are completely in tune with each other…”) – captured at the peak of his powers, with Vasant Achrekar on tabla and Tulsidas Borkar on harmonium:

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[alap, e.g. 0:02] (DM)D (N)S, N(DM) (MN)D DN; N(SN)D (N)S (N)rS, (SN)S (ND)N, (MN)D SN(rN)D(r)N N(D)M, N\D/S (Nr)S, DNrG, (rNS)N, r\NDS(Nr)S, (SN)S (ND)N (S)N, S/M\GG (rSN)S; N/rS D\M…

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–Further Recordings–

• Uday Bhawalkar (13m): among the very best Dagarvani expositions, live from London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1995
• Pandit Jasraj (19m): the Mewati maestro demonstrates his extraordinary command of mandra saptak (e.g. 7:53)
• Vilayat Khan (20m): from a 1976, with Kishan Maharaj on tabla (also watch Roopa Panesar play the same gat above)
• Anupama Bhagwat (37m): droneless, and fabulously recoloured by her unusual ‘tritonal‘ chikari tuning (Sa–Ga–Ma)
• Rashid Khan (39m): DNA India: “All that was needed for the audience to ascend to sublime heights of rhapsody…”
• Omkarnath Thakur (47m): Thakur’s Puriya renditions are said to have lulled fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to sleep
• Apoorva Gokhale (49m): with Bharat Kamat’s tabla, Chaitanya Kunte’s harmonium, and Amritha Shenoy-Kamath’s vocals
• Amir Khan (61m): a full-length take featuring sublime sargam (e.g. 41:18), resonating through a mist of old vinyl crackle

• 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: Marwa, Sohini

See all shadav ragas which omit Pa

–Proximate Forms–

Puriya Kalyan = ‘Puriya add Pa‘

Raj Kalyan = ‘Puriya shuddha Re‘

Lalita Sohini = ‘Puriya double Ma‘

Hindol = ‘Puriya no re‘

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

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–r–G–M–D–N–S

• Reverse: SrgMdNS (=Gujiri Todi)

• Complement: SRgmPdnS (=Darbari)

• Imperfect: 2 (Sa, re)

• Detached: 1 (Sa)

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: Marwa set

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• Quirks: ‘detached Sa‘

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Hamsanandi

S-R₁-G₃-M₂-D₂-N₃-S

• Jazz: Lydian b2 (no 5th)

1-b2-3-#4-6-7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-1-4-6-9-11-0

(1–3–2–3–2–1)

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o o • • o • o • • o • o o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Ni (+Ni)

• Names: Puriya, Puria, Pooriya (not Purva/Purba)

• Transliterations: Hindi (पूरिया); Bengali (পুরিয়া)

—More—

Further info: links, listenings, learnings, etc

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• Raag Puriya: [coming soon]

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• Header audio: Alap by Dumaron shehnai doyen Bismillah Khan (1993)
• Header image: ‘Sunset over Patiya Reserved Forest’, Kanchan Nagar, Bangladesh (Commons)

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