S-R-g-M-P-D-N-S A creation of Gwalior vocalist and educator Ramashreya Jha ‘Ramrang’ – named in honour of Anjana, a mythic Vanara princess fabled in Hindu lore as Lord Hanuman‘s mother. As per his student Rajan Parrikar, “the basic idea involves rendering the aroha of Madhuvanti sampurna, by taking in both [shuddha] Re and Dha. The aroha […]
• Raag Anjani Kalyan •
• Raag Bhatiyar •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-N-S A dawn raga fabled as a creation of Raja Bharthari, a mythical King of Ujjain who is said to have left behind his life of material wealth and romantic pleasure to pursue a path of ascetic devotion (“Bharthari resolves to kill a black buck, and seek diksha [initiation rites] from the yogi…As the plan […]
• Raag Amrut Ranjani •
S-gG-m-dD-n-S An ingenious evening raga created by the late (and vastly underappreciated) santoor maestro Ulhas Bapat, based around mirroring Jog‘s GmgS catchphrase in the uttarang as Dndm: thus hinting at a ma-murchana (i.e. ‘double-Ga is to Sa as double-Dha is to ma‘). This allows Amrut Ranjani (meaning ‘Nectar of Delight’) to sample flavours of Bageshri (DnS), Rageshri […]
• Raag Hanskinkini •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S Running something like a ‘double-Ga, double-Ni Dhanashree’, Hanskinkini is full of florid alankars and intricate melodic turns – reflected in the meaning of its name, which translates as ‘swan’ + ‘small tinkling ornament’. Performers may draw on the melodic flexibilities of other ‘double Ga+Ni’ ragas including Pilu and Jaijaiwanti, while preserving the Dhanashree-ang kernel […]
• Raag Madhu Multani •
S-r-g-M-P-D-N-S An aprachalit raga combining Multani’s poorvang with Madhuvanti’s uttarang (also viewable as ‘Madhuvanti komal re’ or ‘Multani shuddha Dha’), which I found during my search for ragas matching the ‘32 thaat’ (=all possible 7-swara sampurna scales). Conceived by prolific rare raga explorer Abhirang in 2020, who banishes Re and Dha in aroha alongside other […]
• Raag Basant Bahar •
S-rR-gG-mM-P-dD-nN-S A complex jod raga which, due to its parentage, has the rare distinction of using all 12 swara positions in its core form (Basant: SrGMPdNS + Bahar: SRgmPDnNS). While there are other ragas which do allow the use of all swaras, they tend to be either combinational experiments (e.g. Patmanjari, a blend of five […]
• Raag DoGa Kalyan •
S-gG-M-P-D-N-S A Ravi Shankar creation taking the form of ‘Kalyan with komal ga instead of Re’ (‘DoGa’: ‘Double-Gandhar’) – which, despite never having been released in classical form, may have left its mark on modern music as a possible source for The Beatles’ Blue Jay Way, composed by Shankar’s sitar student George Harrison in 1967. At […]
• Raag Bayati •
S-r̃-g-m-P-ᵭ-n-S A unique experiment by vocalist Dinkar Kaikini, based on adapting a Middle Eastern melodic form known as Maqam-al-Bayati – resulting in highly unusual sruti tunings for re and dha, which are set to ‘quarter-tonal’ shades roughly halfway between komal and shuddha (ga and ni also display some degree of flexibility, leaving only Sa, ma, & […]
• Raag Hameer •
S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S A winding raga of complex historical lineage, Hameer (‘Royal, Regal’) enjoys a steady presence on the modern concert circuit. Re is weak in aroha, and Tanarang links the shuddha Dha vadi to “the enthusiasm and courage of warriors”, giving a pakad of GMND; DDP and uttarang-focused phrases such as Gm(N)DNS; PDPPS; MPDNS. Touches of […]
• Raag Sughrai •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S An afternoon raga of the Kanada family, Sughrai shares significant historic and melodic overlap with Suha (the two are sometimes fused as ‘Suha-Sughrai’) – with Mewati vocalist Aarshin Karande describing it as “a ‘higher-shruti‘ version of the more popular Suha” and “an ancient compound of Sarang and Malhar, featured prominently in Haveli Sangeet“. Shuddha […]
• Raag Madhurkauns •
S-gG-m-d-n-S A fascinating creation of Kirana vocalist Prabha Atre, matching the swaras of ‘Malkauns double-Ga’ (or ‘Nandkauns no Pa’). The addition of shuddha Ga maintains the original Ga–ni symmetry axis of Malkauns, while also giving more gravity to shuddha ma via upward resolutions of G/m – a feature which forms the basis of most of her […]
• Raag Jogeshwari •
S-gG-m-D-n-S A low-high combination of Jog and Rageshri (SgGm+DnS) invented by Ravi Shankar and first released on a stellar 1980 album – although he was performing it at least 5 years before this: e.g. a 1975 rendition from an all-night concert in Varanasi. Jog’s strong shuddha Ga dominates the poorvang, while motions towards the uttarang […]
• Raag Jansammohini •
S-R-G-P-D-n-S Broadly running along the lines of ‘Kalavati plus shuddha Re’ (especially in avroh), Jansammohini is a captivating Southern import. As per santooriya Tarun Bhattacharya, “This [scale] was originally called ‘Siva Kalyan’, but the raga went out of circulation. Having heard the Carnatic Jansammohini, my guruji Ravi Shankar brought it back [under] the Carnatic name. […]
• Raag Harikauns •
S-g-M-D-n-S Among the strangest of pentatonic scales, Harikauns resembles ‘Hemavati no Re/Pa’ or ‘Madhukauns with Dha-for-Pa’ (or ‘Malkauns with the middle two swaras raised’) – forming a ‘diminished square’ of 3-semitone jumps (SgMD) plus a (symmetry-destroying) komal ni. Aside from a natural uttarang focus, the raga allows for near-complete freedom of motion – but presents inherent […]
• Raag Barwa •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S An Agra gharana speciality, Barwa blends ideas from Kafi (mP, mgR; mPDNS), Sindhura (SRmP; Pg), Desi (RPRg), and Miyan ki Malhar (nDNS). The komal ga tends to be omitted in aroha, and ma is rendered deergha, while the Malharic Re–Pa pair is often given as the vadi-samvadi. Traditionally associated with the late morning hours, […]
• Raag Asa Bhairav •
S-rR-G-m-P-D-N-S A joining of Bhairav and the archaic Sikh form Asa (Sanskrit for ‘Hope’), matching the swaras of ‘Bilawal double-Re’ – with the shuddha taken in ascent, and the komal in descent. Parrikar notes that “the Bhairav-ang is expressed in the poorvang [e.g. Gm(G)rS], and the rest of the contour looks to Asa [e.g. S, S(m)RmP, […]
• Raag Ek Prakar ki Kauns •
S-gG-m-d-nN-S An invention of Imdadkhani sitarist Rais Khan (who, with a pleasing lack of pretention, named his new raga ‘A Type of Kauns’). From Martyn Clayton’s excellent liner notes to a 1985 Navras recording: “Indeed an unusual raga…Rais Khan’s ‘Ek Prakar ki Kauns’ is based on Malkauns, but incorporates two extra notes [shuddha Ga & […]
• Raag Sohini •
S-r-G-M-D-N-S Sharing its six swaras with Marwa and Puriya, Sohini aims for a looser, more sprightly flavour to these more famous congruents – focusing on agile movements in madhya and taar saptaks, and uttarang-based phrases built on a strong Dha–Ga sangati. Re is banned in aroha, and Sa assumes greater strength than in Marwa, while […]
• Raag Gaurimanjari •
S-rR-G-mM-P-d-nN-S An intricate ten-toned raga created by Ali Akbar Khan via blending ideas from across the Lalit–Gauri spectrum (Gaurimanjari: ‘Bouquet of Gauris’) – notable for its winding melodic motions and dense, crowded swara-space (some renditions employ all swaras except komal ga). Its core form also possesses the ultra-rare property of rotational symmetry (i.e. the interval […]
• Raag Prabhateshwari •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S A seldom-heard raga associated with bansuriya Hariprasad Chaurasia, which (to my ears) resembles a blend of the morning Ahir Bhairav and the late night Bageshri. His student Rajendra Teredesai describes it as having “all the hues…beautiful, complex, yet spiritually uplifting…full of pathos and bhakti ras, a state of perpetual divine bliss”. Prakriti with Ahiri and Jaiwanti […]
• Raag Shahana •
S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S The late-night Shahana (literally: ‘Of Royal Demeanour’) draws on elements from Darbari and Bageshri, notably including the former’s nP; gmRS descent and the latter’s strong g-m-D grouping. Distinctively, shuddha Dha is used as a prominent melodic endpoint, with Pa supporting it via distinctive up-down phrases such as PmgmD. Usually interpreted as a Kanada raga, Deepak […]
• Raag Rang Malhar •
S-R-mM-P-D-nN-S From my 2018 Darbar interview with Rupak Kulkarni: “Rang Malhar happened by chance. It was the rainy season, and I was playing in a monsoon festival. I was the last performer, and by the time my turn came then all types of Malhar family ragas had been played already. I thought I should come […]
• Raag Prabhakali •
S-r-G-m-P-d-n-S An Ali Akbar Khan invention, prakriti with the better-known Basant Mukhari. Information is scant – but, as per the liner notes to the raga’s 1964 LP release, “Prabhakali permits only five notes in aroha, dropping [Ga & Ni]. For avroh, it admits all the seven notes…[re & dha] are flats as in Bhairav, and […]
• Raag Nat Bhairav •
S-R-G-m-P-d-N-S A direct combination of Nat in poorvang and Bhairav in uttarang (SRGm+PdNS), Nat Bhairav was sitar icon Ravi Shankar‘s first raga creation, released in the pre-Independence music scene of 1945 – inspired by Shankar hearing an allied theme sung in a lecture-demo by legendary musicologist B.R. Deodhar (read the full origin tale below). Flavours of the […]
• Raag Malay Marutam •
S-r-G-P-D-n-S ‘Malay Marutam’ translates as ‘Fragrant Hill-Breeze’. Maihar bansuriya Rupak Kulkarni explained to me in a 2018 interview how the raga “is from Carnatic music, which does not give so much attention to the times of day. We have decided to designate it as a morning raga, mainly due to the nature and essence of […]
• Raag Khem Kalyan •
S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S A rare-but-charming raga of the Agra gharana, Khem Kalyan is a Kalyan variant with Hansadhwani-like touches. In his essay The Precious Kalyan, Imdadkhani sitarist-scholar Deepak Raja recounts his quest to decode and reconstruct its workings from old recordings, having failed to find a guru who knew it: “This was no ordinary raga…not even just […]
• Raag Kalingada •
S-r-G-m-P-d-N-S Kalingada shares the same seven swaras as Bhairav, but approaches them in distinct fashion – generally preferring a simpler, less ornamented character (as per Rajan Parrikar: “Kalingada has a flippant mien…far less austere than Bhairav. Ga and Pa are advanced to positions of influence, and the swara-lagav is mostly linear, without the andolit treatment […]
• Raag Jaunpuri •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S Jaunpuri is 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 […]
• Raag Jaun Bhairav •
S-rR-gG-m-P-d-nN-S A jod raga fashioned by Agra vocalist Jagannathbuwa Purohit ‘Gunidas’ (also the creator of Jogkauns and Swanandi), combining ideas from two well-known morning ragas – Jaunpuri and Bhairav. Parrikar points to to the “crowded swara-space”, with both komal and shuddha variants of Re, Ga, and Ni on display: meaning that the entire komal ni […]
• Raag Gaoti •
S-R-G-m-P-D-n-S Sarodiya Rahul Bhattacharya describes the late-afternoon Gaoti as “an underutilised gem…a pleasant, fulfilled feeling…like enjoying a perfume without actually knowing why”. Also known as ‘Gawati’, differences of opinion persist as to whether the raga is identical to Bheem: while some claim that Bheem can be distinguished by its occasional use of komal ga in […]
• Raag Gagan Vihang •
S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S As per Ocean of Ragas, Gagan Vihang (Sanskrit: ‘Birds of Heaven’) “was composed by Pandit Dinkar Kaikini…we find features of Bihag, Savani, Nand, and Mand, although the raga maintains its independent melody [via] unique phrases such as SRPGm, GmRS, NDmP” – while others also point to the influence of Shankara. The Agra khayal innovator […]
• Raag Deen Todi •
S-r-g-m-D-n-S A near-extinct raga of uncertain origin, Deen Todi sets an ‘Ahiri no Pa’ form to the framework of the Todi-ang. Best preserved via an astonishing rendition by Kamalesh Maitra on the tabla tarang (a semicircle of 13 sruti-tuned dayan drums: below), accompanied by a multiphonic cluster of tanpura drones (tuned to a D-n-r-S cluster). Parveen […]
• Raag Dagori •
S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S The seldom-heard Dagori features prominent use of shuddha Ni and characteristic slides and glides between ma and Re. Seemingly invented by Jaipur-Atrauli gharana founder Alladiya Khan (also the progenitor of Maru Bihag and Jait Kalyan), and still near-exclusively performed by the khayal singers of that tradition, although detailed information is scant. While I initially […]
• Raag Bheem •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-n-S Near-identical to Gaoti, Bheem is sometimes said to be marked out by its allowance of komal ga in taar saptak – although this distinction now seems moot: there are plenty of Gaoti performances with this characteristic too. Debate persists: while Agra-Gwalior vocalist Prabhakar Karekar considers the ragas indistinguishable (having remarked that he “had been taught […]
• Raag Arun Malhar •
S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S A rare and ancient Malhar variant, said to be marked out by a DDnP DGPm pakad. As per Rajan Parrikar, “although it finds a mention in Bhatkhande, no details are forthcoming – there are a couple of other works where the raga is treated, but only in the sketchiest of terms”. Described as a mix […]
• Raag Anand Bhairav •
S-r-G-m-P-D-nN-S A rarely-heard member of the Bhairav raganga, which seems to have no precise prakritis. As per Rajan Parrikar, “the komal dha in Bhairav is replaced by its shuddha counterpart, and the komal ni is parachuted into the scheme in an [avroh phrase] SDnP inspired by Bilawal (in Bhairav-ang ragas where either Re or Dha is rendered shuddha, […]
• Raag Ambika Sarang •
S-R-mM-P-D-nN-S According to Rajan Parrikar, Ambika Sarang is associated with Agra vocalist Chidanand Nagarkar, with “elements of Shuddha Sarang and Kafi blended together in a delicious cocktail” (as per his great-nephew Prasad Upasani, “The story goes that while teaching Shuddha Sarang, one student kept singing komal ni by mistake. This phrase stuck in his head, and […]
• Raag Adana •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S Though prakriti with Darbari, Adana favours a ‘lighter, flittering’ treatment: often summoned via skipping ga in aroha, limiting ornaments on komal dha, and focusing more on madhya and taar saptak (exemplified in Buddhadev Dasgupta‘s concise rendition: gat transcribed below). Komal ga is reintroduced via the gmRS Kanada signature in avroh – and some artists, including […]
• Raag Badhans Sarang •
S-R-m-P-D-nN-S A seldom-heard Sarang variant which appears in several different guises. All main forms include the swaras SRmPDnS, and most add shuddha Ni, while some also include shuddha Ga amidst other quirks. Thankfully, rare raga explorer Moumita Mitra recently conducted a survey of known renditions (read in full below), categorising them into three streams: ‘komal […]
• Raag Kameshwari •
S-R-M-P-D-n-S Dreamed up by Ravi Shankar during a March 1968 car journey through Chengali, Bengal. As explained by his widow Sukanya: “While riding in the car, he conceived the nucleus of a melodic form that he later developed and called Kameshwari [‘Lordess of Love’]. By using the old murchana and swara bheda system, he discovered […]
• Raag Sundarkauns •
S-g-m-D-n-S There are at least two ragas in modern circulation which go by the title ‘Sundarkauns’, which appear to share no connection other than their name. One version, taking the swaras SgmDnS (‘Malkauns shuddha Dha’), is described by Tanarang as having been unjustly sidelined by previous generations, who have tended to misinterpret it as a ‘Bageshri-ang Chandrakauns’ […]
• Raag Kaushiki •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S A mysterious Malkauns-adjacent raga of great historic renown, now seldom heard in its traditional form. Ragas entitled ‘Kaushika/Kaushiki’ are mentioned in numerous ancient texts, including the 11th-century writings of Abhinavabharati (“Bhinnashadaja, Kaushiki, and Bhinnapanchama are favoured in Summer”), Sarngdeva’s 13th-century Sangita Ratnakara (“Bhairava, Kaushika, Hindola, Dipaka, Sri, and Megha are the six primary ragas”), and […]
• Raag Purba •
S-r-G-mM-P-dD-N-S A rare raga of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, described by Rajan Parrikar as “essentially Raag Poorvi adorned with bells and whistles” – in particular, the Ma-mixing catchphrases Sm, mGP and MMPPd, dNdP. Refer to the Rajshekhar Mansur bandish transcribed below, which showcases uttarang forays of MP, PdNdP and a prominent M\G glide. Also recorded by […]
• Raag Chandni Todi •
S-r-g-M-P-D-n-S Equivalent to ‘Todi’s poorvang + Kafi’s uttarang‘ (or ‘Ahiri tivra Ma’), the SrgM+PDnS scale has barely been explored in Hindustani music – in fact, I couldn’t trace a single recording of it until late 2025, when vocalist Ashish Dha sent me his experiment in a new raga titled Chandni Todi (‘Moonlit Todi’). He describes […]
• Raag Tilang Bahar •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S A sparsely-recorded form which uses all the swaras of both Tilang and Bahar, appraised by Tanarang as “a fine blend of the two melodies…both [ragas] provide sweet tonal embellishment” (who gives characteristic phrases of GmPm; GmRS; mDNS; DNSRS; SnPmG; mPm; DNSnP; GmRS). Kirana singer R.D. Jadhav’s performance (described on the cover as a “bright […]
• Raag Swanandi •
S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S Fashioned by Agra vocalist Jagannathbuwa Purohit ‘Gunidas’ (also the creator of Jogkauns and Jaun Bhairav), fusing material from Bhatiyar, Bihag, and Bhinna Shadja into an engrossing new whole. Bhatiyar forms the main base, with its phrases being reworked to match the swaras of Bilawal thaat (e.g. PGRS; SD NDP, PDPm), with Bhinna Shadja contributing […]
• Raag Simhendra Madhyamam •
S-R-g-M-P-d-N-S Borrowed from a South Indian ragam (mela #57), Simhendra Madhyamam takes the form of ‘Kirwani tivra Ma’, ‘Todi shuddha re’, or ‘Madhuvanti komal dha’. Despite the broad popularity of its Carnatic congruent (hailed by Charulatha Mani as “regal, meditative, bold, and striking”), the raga remains rare in the North – with its phraseological norms […]
• Raag Shobhawari •
S-R-m-P-d-S A rare ‘audav Asavari’ raga, matching the swaras of ‘komal Dha Durga’ (or ‘shuddha Re Gunakri‘). While relatively free of specific melodic constraints, the dha assumes natural prominence due to its disbalancing effects: it is involved in the only hemitonic pairing (Pd) and also the widest adjacent jump (dS), while serving as the only […]
• Raag Shivawanti •
S-R-g-M-P-D-S A sparsely-documented modern creation of sitar and surbahar legend Imrat Khan – kindly brought to my attention by his student Chris Stephens via the Chandrakantha forum: “In regard to the ‘idiosyncratic’ Etawah ragas, here’s a video of [Khan] playing Shivawanti, which he described as a combination of Shivranjani and Madhuvanti. I captured this in […]
• Raag Sazgiri •
S-r-G-mM-P-dD-N-S Often described as being among the most complex of Hindustani forms, Sazgiri is fabled as a creation of Amir Khusro (1253-1325): the legendary Sufi poet, singer, and mystic of the Delhi Sultanate (although direct historical evidence for his authorship of the raga is admittedly scant). Komal dha is restricted to Poorvi-ang phrases such as […]
