Lakshanagranthas: A chronological overview of historical raga writings spanning the past 3,600 years – with summaries, extracts, and multilingual links to the original source material. Get in touch with more info!
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—Shastras: Full List (100+)—
Listed by shastra name, other than when one author produced multiple significant works (e.g. Pundarika Vitthala). Also note that the ‘Narada’ and ‘Vyasa’ pseudonyms has been adopted by many scholars over time!
- Vedas (~1600-800 BCE; Vyasa/anon.)
- Ramayana (~600 BCE-200 CE; Valmiki/anon.)
- Pratisakhyas (~500-150 BCE; anon.)
- Chanda Sutra (~200 BCE; Pingala)
- Naradiya Shiksha (~C1st BCE; anon.)
- Natyashastra (~200 BCE-200 CE; Bharata Muni)
- Mahabharata (~200 BCE–300 CE; Vyasa/anon.)
- Dattilam (~C1st-3rd; Datilla)
- Amara Kosha (C2nd-4th; Amara Simha)
- Yajnavalkya Smrti (~C3rd-C5th; Yajnavalkya)
- Silappadikaram (~C5th-6th; Ilango Adigal)
- Brihaddeshi (~C6th-8th; Matanga)
- Kudumiyanmalai inscriptions (~C7th; anon.)
- Sangita Makaranda (~C7th-9th; Narada)
- Raga Sagara (C8th?; Narada/Dattila)
- Gitalamkara (~C9th-12th; Bharata)
- Sangita Samarasya (~C10th-13th; Prasavadeva)
- Abhinavabharati (~980-1020; Abhinavagupta)
- Sarasvati Hridayalankara (~1097; Nanyadeva)
- Manasollasa (~1129; Someshwara)
- Sangita Chudamani (1138-51; Jagadekamalla)
- Aparajita Pracca (1144-74; Bhuvanadeva Charya)
- Sangita Samaya Sara (C12th; Parsha Deva)
- Bhava Prakash (C12th; Sharadatanaya)
- Gita Govinda (C12th; Jayadeva)
- Sangita Ratnakara (1210-47; Sarngadeva)
- Sangita Sudhakara (~1330; Haripala)
- Sangitopanishat Saroddhara (~1350; Sudhakalasa)
- Sangita Sara (1386/1320-80; Vidyaranya)
- Ghunyat-ul Munya (1375; Gujarat court)
- Sangita Siromani (1428; Ibrahim Shah)
- Chatura Kalanidhi (~1450; Chatura Kallinatha)
- Nridtyadhyaya (C15th; Ashokamalla)
- Sangita Raja (1456; Kumbhakarna)
- Man Kautuhal (1486-1516; Raja Man Singh)
- Lahjat-i Sikandar Shahi (1489-1517; Nazir Ahmed)
- Bhakti Padas (early C16th; Swami Haridas)
- Mirigavati (1503; Qutban Suhravardi)
- Mesakarna Ragmala (1509/1570; Mesakarna)
- Raga Tarangini (~C15th-C17th; Locana Kavi)
- Swaramela Kalanidhi (~1550; Ramamatya)
- Caurasi Pada (C16th; Hita Harivamsa)
- Raga Nirupanam (~1551; Narada)
- Raga Manjari (~1560-90; Pundarika Vitthala)
- Rasakaumudi (~1575; Shrikantha)
- Kitab-i Nauras (1582-1626; Ibrahim Adil Shah)
- Madhavanal Kamakandala (1582; Alam)
- Ain-i-Akbari (1593; Abul Fazl)
- Sangita Damodara (late C16th; Shubhankara)
- Vina Lakshana (C16th-18th; Parameshvara)
- Guru Granth Sahib (1604; Guru Arjan)
- Raga Vibodha (1609; Somanatha)
- Sangita Sudha (1614; Govinda Dikshita)
- Hazar Dhrupad (~1628-58?; Nayak Bakshu)
- Javahir al-Musiqat Muhammadi (~1630-40; Abd al-Karim)
- Hridayaprakasa / Hridayakautaka (~1660; Hridaya Narayana)
- Abhinava Sangita Anushka (C17th; Bhava Batta)
- Sangita Darpana (~1625; Damodara Misra)
- Chaturdandi Prakashika (1660; Venkatamakhim)
- Miftah-al-Sarud (1664; Qazi Hasan)
- Sangit Parijat (~1665; Pandit Ahobal)
- Raga Darpan (~1666; Faqirullah)
- Tarjuma-i Parijatak (1666; Mirza Raushan Zamir)
- Bayan-i-Thate Ya’Ni Navakhtan-i Sazha (1668; Kamilkhani)
- Anupa Sangitaratnakara (1674-1701; Bhavabhatta)
- Tuhfat-al-Hind (1675; Mirza Khan)
- Nishatara (~1680-1722; Salih Qawwal Dehlavi)
- Shams-al-Aswat (1698; Ras Baras Khan)
- Shiva Tattva Ratnakara (~1700; Basava Raja)
- Sangita Saramritam (1729-35; Tulajendra Bhonsale)
- Risala-e-Zikr-e-Mughannian-e-Hindustan (1735; Inayat Khan)
- Usul Un-Naghmat-i Asafi (1792-1813; Muhammed Raza Khan)
- On the Musical Modes of the Hindus (1792; William Jones)
- Sangit Sar (~1800; Pratap Singh Dev)
- Sangita Taranga (1813; Radha Mohan Sen)
- A Treatise on the Music of Hindusthan (1834; N.A. Willard)
- Raga Kalpadruma (1842; Krishnananda Vyasa)
- Gita Sutra Sara (1855; K. Banaiji)
- Madan al-Musiqi (1856; Muhammad Karam Imam Khan)
- History of Indian Music (1894; Bhavanrav A. Pingle)
- Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati (1909-31; V.N. Bhatkhande)
- The Hindu Scale and the 22 Shrutees (1910; K.B. Deval)
- Raga Pravesh (1911-21; V.D. Paluskar)
- The Music of Hindostan (1914; Arthur Henry Fox Strangways)
- 129 Skeleton Melodies in 79 Ragas (1918; PSWI)
- The Ragas of Indian Music (1913-23; Ernest Clements)
- The Music of India (1921; Herbert Arthur Popley)
- Researches in Indian Music and Folklore (1933; A.A. Baké)
- Ragas and Raginis (1935/58?; O.C. Ganguly)
- Problems of Hindustani Music (1937; Hemendra Lal Roy)
- Sangeet Kalaprakash (1938; Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze)
- Sangeetanjali (1938-62; Omkarnath Thakur)
- Aprakashit Raga (1955-56; J.D. Patki)
- Raga Nidhi (1956-65; B. Subbha Rao)
- Melodic Types of Hindustan (1960; Narendra Kumar Bose)
- Historical Development of Indian Music (1960; Swami)
- Raga Vijnana (1961-74; Vinayak Patwadhan)
- Essays on History of Indo-Pak Music (1962; Abdul Halim)
- The Ragas of North India (1968; Walter Kaufmann)
- The Ragas of Northern Indian Music (1969; Alain Daniélou)
- The Rags of North Indian Music (1971; Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy)
- Ragmala Painting (1973; Klaus Ebeling)
- Indian Music (1974; B.C. Deva)
- Indian Music: History and Structure (1974; te Nijenhuis)
- Hindustani Music in the 20th Century (1980; v.d. Meer)
- Rag Vyakaran (1981; V.M. Chaudhury)
- A Comparative Study of Selected Ragas (1991; Moutal)
- The Ragas of Early Indian Music (1995; Richard Widdess)
- Indian Music and the West (1997; Gerry Farrell)
- Nad: Understanding Raga Music (1998; Sandeep Bagchee)
- The Raga Guide (1999; Joep Bor)
- Tanarang website (2000-; V.R. Ringe)
- Parrikar website (2001; Rajan Parrikar)
- The Raga-ness of Ragas & more (2015; Deepak Raja)
“Ustad Faiyyaz Khan was singing in a mehfil, when a scholar interrupted him and said, ‘You are not singing correctly; this raga is described differently in the shastras’. Khansaheb asked the scholar show him the shastra. When he produced it, Khan put the book to his ear and said ‘I can hear nothing, it is silent’. The scholar asked Khansaheb to read it. Khansaheb’s reply was that ‘I don’t care what is written in the shastras – whatever you are singing, just sing it.’ Indian music cannot be explained by just writing…” (RICMP)
—ALL SHASTRAS—
Brief summaries & further links
• Vedas •
Vyasa/anon. (~16th-9th century BCE)
—Rigveda (‘Knowledge of Praise’)—
—Samaveda (‘Knowledge of Songs’)—
—Yajurveda (‘Knowledge of Worship’)—
—Atharvaveda (‘Knowledge of the Priests’)—
[ALL VEDAS: SANSKRIT & ENGLISH]
T
• Ramayana •
Valmiki/anon. (~400 BCE)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH]
T
• Pratisakhyas •
Anon. (~500-150 BCE)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH]
T
• Chandra Sutra •
Pingala (~200 BCE)
[SANSKRIT] [BENGALI]
T
• Naradiya Shiksha •
Narada/anon. (~1st century BCE)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH] [HINDI]
T
• Natyashastra •
Bharata Muni (~200 BCE-200 CE)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH] [HINDI]
[नाट्य शास्त्र]
• Mahabharata •
Vyasa/anon. (~200 BCE–300 CE)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH] [HINDI]
T
• Dattilam •
Dattila (~C1st-3rd CE)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH]
[दत्तिलम्]
• Amara Kosha •
Amara Simha (C3rd-4th)
[SANSKRIT] [MALAYALAM]
T
• Yajnavalkya Smrti •
Yajnavalkya (~C3rd-C5th)
[SANSKRIT & ENGLISH]
T
• Silappadikaram •
Ilango Adigal (~C5th-6th)
[TAMIL] [ENGLISH]
T
• Brihaddeshi •
Matanga (~C6th-8th CE)
[SANSKRIT & ENGLISH]
[बृहद्देशी]
• Kudumiyanmalai inscriptions •
Mahendra Pallava? (~C7th)
[ROCK INSCRIPTIONS]
T
• Sangita Makaranda •
Narada (disputed: C7th-9th?)
[SANSKRIT]
[सङ्गीतमकरन्द]
• Raga Sagara •
Narada/Dattila (~C8th?)
T
• Gitalamkara •
Bharata (~C9th-12th)
[FRENCH]
T
• Sangita Samarasya •
Prasavadeva (~C10th-13th)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Abhinavabharati •
Abhinavagupta (~980-1020)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH (partial)]
T
• Sarasvati Hridayalankara •
Nanyadeva (~1097)
a.k.a. ‘Bharata Bhashya’
• Aparajita Pracca •
Bhuvanadeva Charya (1144-74)
T
• Sangita Samayasara •
Parsha Deva (C12th)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH (partial)]
[सङ्गीतसमयसार]
• Bhava Prakash •
Sharadatanaya (C12th)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Gita Govinda •
Jayadeva (C12th)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH]
T
• Manasollasa •
Someshwara (~1129)
[SANSKRIT – Pt.1 | Pt.2]
[मानसोल्लास]
• Sangita Sudhakara •
Haripala (~1330)
T
• Sangita Chudamani •
Jagadekamalla (~1138-51)
[सङ्गीतचूडामणि]
• Sangita Ratnakara •
Sarngadeva (~1210-1247)
[SANSKRIT: Pt1 | Pt2 | Pt3] [ENGLISH]
[संगीतरत्नाकर]
• Sangitopanishat Saroddhara •
Sudhakalasa (~1350)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Sangita Sara •
Vidyaranya (~1350-80)
T
• Ghunyat-ul Munya •
Gujarat court musicians (1375)
[PERSIAN (book)]
T
• Sangita Siromani •
Ibrahim Shah & court musicians (1428)
T
• Chatura Kalanidhi •
Chatura Kallinatha (~1450)
[कलानिधि]
• Nridtyadhyaya •
Ashokamalla (C15th)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Sangita Raja •
Kumbhakarna (1456)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Man Kautuhal •
Raja Man Singh (1486-1516)
(lost work?)
Translated as Raga Darpan
• Lahjat-i Sikandar Shahi •
Nazir Ahmed / Yahya al-Kabuli (1489-1517)
T
• Bhakti Padas •
Swami Haridas (early C16th)
T
• Mirigavati •
Qutban Suhravardi (1503)
T
• Mesakarna Ragmala •
Mesakarna (1509)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Raga Tarangini •
Locana Kavi (~C15th-17th)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Swaramela Kalanidhi •
Ramamatya (~1550)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH (partial)]
T
• Caurasi Pada •
Hita Harivamsa (C16th)
[BRAJ BHASHA & ENGLISH (book)]
T
• Raga Nirupanam •
Narada/anon. (~1551)
[SANSKRIT (book)]
T
• Raga Manjari / Ragamala / Nartananirnaya •
Pundarika Vitthala (~1560-90)
[SANSKRIT: RAGAMANJARI]
[SANSKRIT: RAGAMALA]
[Ragamala रागमाला] [Nartananirnaya नर्तननिर्णय]
• Rasakaumudi •
Shrikantha (~1575)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Kitab-i Nauras •
Ibrahim Adil Shah (1582-1626)
[PERSIAN & ENGLISH]
T
• Madhavanal Kamakandala •
Alam (1582)
T
• Ain-i-Akbari •
Abul Fazl (1593)
[PERSIAN] [ENGLISH: Pt.1 | Pt.2]
T
• Sangita Damodara •
Shubhankara (late C16th)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Vina Lakshana •
Parameshvara (C16th-18th)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Guru Granth Sahib •
Guru Arjan (1604)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Raga Vibhoda •
Somanatha (1609)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH (partial)]
[रागविबोध]
• Sangita Sudha •
Govinda Dikshita (1614)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Hazar Dhrupad (Saharas) •
Nayak Bakshu (1637-46)
T
• Javahir al-Musiqat Muhammadi •
Abd al-Karim (1630-40)
T
• Hridayaprakasa / Hridayakautaka •
Hridaya Narayana (~1660)
[SANSKRIT: HRIDAYAPRAKASA]
[SANSKRIT: HRIDAYAKAUTAKA]
T
• Abhinava Sangita Anushka •
Bhava Batta (C17th)
T
• Sangita Darpana •
Damodara Misra (~1625)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH]
T
• Chaturdandi Prakashika •
Venkatamakhim (1635/1660)
[SANSKRIT] [ENGLISH (partial)]
T
• Miftah-al-Sarud •
Qazi Hasan (1664)
T
• Sangit Parijat •
Pandit Ahobal (~1665)
[SANSKRIT]
[सङ्गीतपारिजात]
• Raga Darpan •
Faqirullah (~1666)
[PERSIAN]
(Persian translation of the Man Kauhutal)
• Tarjuma-i Parijatak •
Mirza Raushan Zamir (~1666)
(A Persian translation of Ahobala’s Sangita Parijat)
• Bayan-i-Thate Ya’Ni Navakhtan-i Sazha •
Kamilkhani (1668)
[ENGLISH (partial)]
T
• Anupa Sangitaratnakara •
Bhavabhatta (1674-1701)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Tuhfat-al-Hind •
Mirza Khan (1675)
[PERSIAN (book)]
T
• Nishatara •
Salih Qawwal Dehlavi (~1680-1722)
T
• Shams-al-Aswat •
Ras Baras Khan (1698)
[ENGLISH (book)]
T
• Shiva Tattva Ratnakara •
Basava Raja (~1700)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Sangita Saramritam •
Tulajendra Bhonsale (1729-35)
T
• Risala-e-Zikr-e-Mughannian Hindustan •
Inayat Khan (1735)
[URDU (book)]
T
• Usul Un-Naghmat-i Asafi •
Raza Khan (1792/1813)
[PERSIAN]
T
• On the Musical Modes of the Hindus •
William Jones (1792)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Sangit Sar •
Pratap Singh Dev (~1800)
T
• Sangita Taranga •
Radha Mohan Sen (1813)
T
• A Treatise on the Music of Hindusthan •
N. Augustus Willard (1834)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Raga Kalpadruma •
Krishnananda Vyasa (1842)
[SANSKRIT]
T
• Gita Sutra Sara •
K. Banaiji (1855)
[BENGALI]
T
• Madan al-Musiqi •
Muhammad Karam Imam Khan (1856)
[URDU]
T
• History of Indian Music •
Bhavanrav A. Pingle (1894)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati / Kramik Pustak Malika •
V.N. Bhatkhande (1909-31)
[MARATHI] [ENGLISH (book)]
Also the Srimallaksya Sangitam (1910)
• The Hindu Scale and the 22 Shrutees •
Krishna Ballal Deval (1910)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Raga Pravesh & more •
V.D. Paluskar (1911-21)
[HINDI: SANGIT BALPRAKASH (1921)]
T
• The Music of Hindostan •
Arthur Henry Fox Strangways (1914)
[ENGLISH]
T
• 129 Skeleton Melodies in 79 Ragas •
Philharmonic Society of Western India (1918)
T
• The Ragas of Indian Music •
Ernest Clements (1913-23)
[ENGLISH]
T
• The Music of India •
Herbert Arthur Popley (1921)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Researches in Indian Music and Folklore •
A.A. Baké (1933)
T
• Ragas and Raginis •
O.C. Ganguly (1935)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Problems of Hindustani Music •
Hemendra Lal Roy (1937)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Sangeet Kalaprakash •
Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze (1938)
T
• Sangeetanjali •
Omkarnath Thakur (1938-62)
[HINDI – Pt.1 | Pt.2 | Pt.3 | Pt.4 | Pt.5 | Pt.6]
T
• Aprakashit Raga •
J.D. Patki (1955-56)
T
• Raga Nidhi •
B. Subbha Rao (1956-66)
[ENGLISH: Vol.1; A-C (1956)]
[ENGLISH: Vol.2; D-J (1964)]
[ENGLISH: Vol.3; K-P (1965)]
[ENGLISH: Vol.4; R-Z+ (1966)]
—
• Melodic Types of Hindustan •
Narendra Kumar Bose (1960)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Historical Development of Indian Music •
Swami Prajnanananda (1960)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Raga Vijnana •
Vinayak Patwadhan (1961-74)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Essays on History of Indo-Pak Music •
Abdul Halim (1962)
T
• The Ragas of North India •
Walter Kaufmann (1968)
[ENGLISH]
T
• The Ragas of Northern Indian Music •
Alain Daniélou (1969)
[ENGLISH]
T
• The Rags of North Indian Music •
Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy (1971)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Ragmala Painting •
Klaus Ebeling (1973)
[CORNELL IMAGES]
T
• Indian Music •
B.C. Deva (1974)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Indian Music: History and Structure •
Emmie te Nijenhuis (1974)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Hindustani Music in the 20th Century •
Wim van der Meer (1980)
[ENGLISH (book)]
T
• Rag Vyakaran •
V.M. Chaudhury (1981)
T
• A Comparative Study of Selected Ragas •
Patrick Moutal (1991)
[ENGLISH (book)]
T
• The Ragas of Early Indian Music •
Richard Widdess (1995)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Indian Music and the West •
Gerry Farrell (1997)
[ENGLISH]
T
• Nad: Understanding Raga Music •
Sandeep Bagchee (1998)
[ENGLISH]
T
• The Raga Guide: 74 Hindustani Ragas •
Joep Bor (1999)
[ENGLISH (book)]
T
• Tanarang •
V.R. Ringe & students (2000–)
[ENGLISH (website)] [HINDI (website)]
T
• Parrikar •
Rajan Parrikar (2001–)
[ENGLISH (website)]
T
• The Raga-ness of Ragas & other works •
Deepak Raja (2015)
[ENGLISH (website)]
T
—MORE—
- T:
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