S-r-G-mM-D-n-S Introduced by Ravi Shankar, drawing from the swara material of three morning ragas: Ahiri, Ahir Bhairav, and Lalit. As per Deepak Raja, “for most listeners, Ahir Lalit will be unable to escape the shadow of Ahir Bhairav over the Lalit facet of the raga…since Ahiri is heard mainly as a Bhairav variant”. Nevertheless, the […]
• Raag Ahir Lalit •
• Raag Dhani •
S-g-m-P-n-S Despite its ‘Minor Pentatonic’ scale form enjoying global popularity as the predominant mode of blues, rock, pop, and countless other guitar-driven genres, Dhani is comparatively rare as a raga in its own right – with its swara set mostly being heard as the ‘aroha of Bhimpalasi’ rather than in isolation (…it may be the […]
• Raag Tilak Kamod •
S-R-G-m-P-D-N-S Mirroring the tones of the Western Major Scale, Tilak Kamod’s seven swaras offer robust melodic flexibility across a range of sentiments (“heroic courage, philosophic poise, devotional contentment, suggestive eroticism…”). Some trace the raga’s origin to Pyar Khan, a rabab-playing descendent of Tansen via his son Bilas Khan, who is said to have picked it […]
• Raag Nayaki Kanada •
S-R-g-m-P-n-S A popular Kanada raga said to be a creation of Gopal Nayak – the legendary poet-composer of Alauddin Khilji’s 12th-century Delhi durbar, fabled to have catalysed Amir Khusro’s invention of qawwali via Khusro seeking to outdo Nayak’s Sufi syllabic singing (although other origin myths relate the raga to Nayak Bakshu of Raja Man Singh’s […]
• Raag Maru •
S-R-G-M-D-N-S Rare to the point of near-extinction in its own right, the historic Maru is now best known as an ingredient of the highly popular Maru Bihag. In the words of scholar-singer Arun Dravid: “It is not well known, even in the music world, that Maru Bihag is a mixed raga…very few people know that […]
• Raag Puriya Kalyan •
S-r-G-M-P-D-N-S Effectively combining the poorvang of Puriya Dhanashree with the uttarang of Yaman (SrGM+PDNS), Puriya Kalyan covers the seven swaras of Marwa thaat. Pa is prominent in descent, but may be skipped in Kalyanic ascending passages such as MDNS – and Sa is often omitted in both upward and downward motions, with mandra saptak Ni […]
• Raag Bairagi Todi •
S-r-g-P-n-S Created by Ravi Shankar, Bairagi Todi replaces Bairagi’s shuddha ma with a Todi-intoned ati-komal ga, retaining the concise audav structure while presenting an odd mix of narrow and wide intervals. Sometimes matched with unusual talas (e.g. Shankar’s original is in ‘sade-gyarah’: a ‘fractional‘ 11.5 matra cycle divided ‘4-4-2-1.5‘), the raga is explorable in all saptak, […]
• Raag Tilang •
S-G-m-P-nN-S A folk-derived Khamaj raga featuring distinctive double-Ni interplay, seemingly of ancient Southern origin (Bor: “Tilang probably originated in Telangana, and may have been introduced to the North by an unknown 15th-to-16th-century poet-composer“). Dha is varjit, and shuddha Re is typically omitted too (although some may occasionally include it swara in taar saptak). Parrikar suggests […]
• Raag Meladalan •
S-r-g-mM-d-n-S A truly mysterious creation I stumbled upon in Subbha Rao’s 1965 Raga Nidhi Vol.3: “’Meladalan’ and ‘Thatavidhwamasa’ are pseudo-names which Acharya Brahaspati…has given to a raga the identity of which [he] wants to keep unpublished for certain reasons. He points out, however, that it is an ancient raga which he wants to bring into life […]
• Raag Kirwani •
S-R-g-m-P-d-N-S Despite its congruence with the Western Harmonic Minor, Kirwani has origins in the Carnatic Keeravani (likely via Ravi Shankar‘s extensive Southern borrowings): thus lending it a natural popularity for North-South jugalbandi duets, offering artists from both cultures a rich expanse of shared melodic territory. Like many Southern imports, Kirwani is comparatively ‘open’, allowing for near-free […]
• Raag Deshkar •
S-R-G-P-D-S Typically summarised as ‘the other raga with Bhupali’s swaras’, Deshkar shuffles the same five tones to produce a mood suited more to the morning than evening hours – a legacy of the raga’s roots in the Bilawal raganga (whereas Bhupali hails from the Kalyan lineage). Taking a Bilawal-ang vadi-samvadi of Dha–Ga, the raga is […]
• Raag Reva •
S-r-G-P-d-S A rare pentatonic raga, Reva is often described as the ‘evening counterpart’ to Bibhas (or the ‘jawab to its sawal’), matching this samay designation by taking after the Poorvi–ang rather than Bibhas’ Bhairav-ang roots. Chiefly, its movements are distinguished from Bibhas via poorvang-focused sangatis including Gr; rS; SrrS, along with a greater exploration of the […]
• Raag Hindol •
S-G-M-D-N-S A captivating, challenging audav raga with all swaras appearing in their highest specific positions (i.e. no komals, and Ma, if present, is tivra: also see Bhupali, Hansadhwani, & Adbhut Kalyan). The name translates as ‘swinging’: indicative of the raga’s melodic character, which is built around ‘swaying’ motions between a SGD trio of nyas, with […]
• Raag Ahiri •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S Traditionally held to cure stomach ailments, Ahiri allows for long, kaleidoscopic melodies – with a scale form resembling ‘Bageshri komal re’, ‘Ahir Bhairav komal ga’, or even ‘Bhairavi shuddha Dha’. Artists are relatively free to roam throughout the scale – often accentuating the ‘equilateral triangle’ of nyas (r-m-D: an augmented triad) while also drawing on motions […]
• Raag Shankara •
S-R-G-P-D-N-S Long fabled as a favourite of Lord Shiva, Shankara (‘Auspicious‘) takes its name from a famous epithet of the deity (Rajan Parrikar: “the musical embodiment of [Shiva’s] personality, comporting with all its attributes: raudra, veera, irascible, volatile, capricious…”). Often considered a pre-midnight raga, it ascends with SGPDNS, often in vakra patterns, before adding subtle […]
• Raag Patmanjari •
(S-rR-gG-mM-P-dD-nN-S) Said by some to be more of a ‘performance concept’ than a single raga, ‘Patmanjari’ translates as ‘Bouquet of Five Ragas’. Debate persists over whether the form should be interpreted as an open challenge to blend five ragas of an artist’s own choosing, or whether it entails five specific ragas – and, if so, […]
• Raag Pahadi •
S-R-G-P-D-S Thought to derive from Kashmiri or Bengali folk tunes, Pahadi (meaning ‘mountain’ or ‘of the hills’) combines playful and subtle shades. While its Bhupali-congruent core form offers a certain sparse simplicity, the raga’s true magic is found in its extensive mishra capabilities, with the tasteful use of any swara being permitted – particularly in […]
• Raag Jaiwanti Todi •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S An Ahiri–prakriti raga introduced by Maharaja Jaiwant Singh Waghela (1904-1980): a hereditary King of Sanand who also gained wide renown as a spiritual teacher, vocal educator, and generous patron of the nascent Mewati gharana (also hear his famous Mata Kalika composition). Its twists and turns are linked to the lineages of Todi, Ahir Bhairav, […]
• Raag Malashree •
S-G-P-S Often said to comprise only three swaras (a SGP major triad), Malashree pushes the bounds of raga definition. Arguably, this challenge is its defining purpose, calling on performers to find expressive freedom within an ultra-limited framework (as per Dagarvani beenkar Bahauddin Dagar, “We do not believe in ‘small’ vs. ‘big’ ragas: Malashree for example […]
• Raag Imratkauns •
S-R-G-m-d-n-S Devised by Imdadkhani sitar and surbahar virtuoso Imrat Khan via blending the scales of Rageshri and Malkauns – producing a swara set matching ‘Charukeshi no Pa’. This mid-scale space presents a strong poorvang–uttarang separation, amidst the strange geometric regularity of the consecutive ‘2-2-2-2’ run (dnSRG: just a ma-to-Ma nudge from matching the whole-tone scale, […]
• Raag Bahar •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S As per Tanarang, Bahar (‘Spring’) “brings out nature’s beautiful blessings…full of shringar and bhakti ras…khatkas and intricate taans are conducive to its dynamic, fleeting nature”. While rooted in the Kanada raganga, the raga features a Malharic twin-Ni, with the shuddha being more prominent. Bageshri hallmarks can also be evident in the weak aroha Re, and […]
• Raag Mohankauns •
S-gG-m-d-n-S As recounted in The Hindu, Mohankauns “was spontaneously created by Ravi Shankar in 1949. On hearing of Mohandas K. Gandhi’s death, Pandit-ji was asked by All India Radio to play a piece dedicated to the Mahatma. On the spot, he created a variation of…Malkauns”. As well as the occasional use of shuddha Re, his […]
• Raag Shyam Kalyan •
S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S Shyam Kalyan (‘Evening Kalyan‘) is a prachalit Kalyan variant. Ga is used sparingly in ascent, and typically skipped in phrases which run through the scale sequentially, and shuddha ma is taken in descent only – while Re is emphasised throughout, and Pa is available as a resting note. As per Tanarang‘s summary, the raga is “a very […]
• Raag Ramdasi Malhar •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S A diverse sankirna raga, fabled as a creation of Guru Ram Das – a 16th-century Sikh saint said to have opened Emperor Akbar’s eyes to the unity of the divine (“these jagirs [feudal land grants] are sources of evil passions, pride, and ego…it is by the name of God that all creatures, continents, worlds, […]
• Raag Shuddha Basant •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-N-S Typically considered the modern successor to the ‘original’ form of Basant – with Maihar musicians such as Nikhil Banerjee and Nityanand Haldipur considering it inseparable from Adi Basant (‘shuddha’, as well as referring to ‘pure’ or ‘unaltered’ swaras, may also indicate ‘primary’ or ‘original’: similar to the meaning of ‘adi’). Generally, it differs from […]
• Raag Firozkhani Todi •
S-r-g-M-d-S A fascinating audav raga formed by removing the Ni from Gujiri Todi – leaving an angular pentatonic shape which, aside from Sa, contains no shuddha swaras (n.b. the same scale is known as ‘Audav Todi’ and ‘Chaya Todi’ too: although the latter title is also separately applied to other fusions of Chaya and Todi). […]
• Raag Khat •
S-rR-gG-m-P-dD-n-S Often described as one of the most complex Hindustani forms, Khat (Sanskrit: ‘six’) is based on the idea of combining six different ragas – although the precise six chosen may vary between performers. Subbha Rao’s Raga Nidhi volumes cites two main forms (“Suha, Kanada, Sarang, Desi, Gandhari, & Sughrai” and “Ramkali, Asavari, Todi, Gujiri, […]
• Raag Bibhas •
S-r-G-P-d-S The pentatonic Bibhas (or Vibhas) appears in at least three present-day forms: typically tilted towards either the Marwa, Bhairav, or Poorvi frameworks. The former takes a shuddha Dha, while the latter pair render it komal (thus drawing focus to Pa, which is often treated as a nyas). Prakriti with Reva in its komal dha […]
• Raag Madhukauns •
S-g-M-P-n-S A curious ‘Dhani tivra Ma’ scale introduced by vocalist Amir Khan via a ‘ma-murchana’ of Chandrakauns (listen to his sargam-demo of the process below) – full of inescapable tension, with 3 of the 5 swaras being imperfect, and the disbalancing Ma–ni sangati on stark display. Sometimes considered identical to Khan’s Chandramadhu, created as part […]
• Raag Jait Kalyan •
S-R-G-P-D-S A Bhupali–prakriti raga which blends Jait with the Kalyan-ang, retaining the former’s strong Pa–Sa sangati amidst descending lines from the latter such as DP(G)RS. Re may be played weakly in aroha, rendering some upward-moving sections of the raga surtar, while glides of (D)G and (P)G are frequent. Seemingly introduced to the ragascape by Jaipur-Atrauli […]
• Raag Tulsikauns •
S-g-m-d-nN-S A creation of Maihar sitarist Kartik Kumar, matching the swara-set of ‘Malkauns double-Ni’ (or ‘Malkauns + Chandrakauns’). A consistently strong ma–murchana summons unmistakable flavours of the Western ‘Blues Scale’ (SgmMPnS), further accentuated by extended meend between the consecutive Ni positions (…I’ve used the exact same scale as a ‘modal sitar hack’ to play with […]
• Raag Alhaiya Bilawal •
S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S Essentially summarisable as ‘Bilawal plus komal ni’, the ‘Alhaiya’ variant exemplifies the core traits of the Bilawal raganga. Most distinctively, Dha is treated as the vadi, but not as a nyas (Pa and Ga are used as stopping tones instead, often being reached via meend). Dha is also used to support komal ni via […]
• Raag Gauri •
S-r-G-m-P-d-N-S Described by Deepak Raja as “difficult to render in its purity”, Gauri is associated with viraha shringara (‘the piety arising from the separation of lovers’). The raga had at least two distinct forms as far back as the 16th century, and continues to manifest in several variations – principally a main Bhairav-ang ‘shuddha ma‘ […]
• Raag Amirkhani Kauns •
S-G-M-P-n-S A ‘pentatonic Vachaspati’ created (as the name implies) by Indore vocal master Amir Khan, which omits Re and Dha (thus, Amirkhani Kauns is to Vachaspati as Dhani is to Kafi). All swaras except Sa are imperfect – with the unusual Ma–ni sangati exerting inevitable gravity and drawing melodies away from clear resolution. Few of […]
• Raag Gaud Malhar •
S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S An ancient blend of Shuddha Malhar and the now-dormant Gaud, also seasoned with shades of Alhaiya Bilawal, which finds mention in medieval works such as Shrikantha’s Rasakaumudi treatise (published circa 1575). Parrikar highlights the “strong, glowing ma”, which serves to join a Gaud-like poorvang (SRGm, mGmPm) to uttarang phrases from Shuddha Malhar (mP(S)DS) and […]
• Raag Ramkali •
S-r-G-mM-P-d-nN-S Resembling ‘Bhairav with touches of tivra Ma and komal ni in avroh’, Ramkali is an early morning raga, often associated with Sikh saintly traditions – with one author recounting that “the emotions in Ramkali are like those of a wise teacher disciplining their student, who is aware of the pain of learning” (although classical ragmala paintings commonly […]
• Raag Gangeshwari •
S-G-m-P-d-n-S Like Parameshwari and Rangeshwari, Gangeshwari (‘Lordess of the Ganges River’) was created by Ravi Shankar in 1968, via murchana rotation of his newly-invented Kameshwari (itself dreamed up during a car ride through Bengal). Its unevenly-spaced shadav scale (prakriti with some forms of Sundarkauns) most closely resembles a ‘no Re’ version of either Charukeshi or Basant […]
• Raag Dhanashree •
S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S Dhanashree is a multivariate raga of ancient vintage (listed in Medieval shastras as a ragini of Malkauns), which arrives in several present-day forms – usually based around the swaras of Bhimpalasi (SRgmPDnS), Khamaj (SRGmPDnNS), Bhairavi (SrgmPdnS), Bilawal (SRGmPDNS), or Patdeep (SRgmPDNS). Characteristic motions tend to retain similar ‘generic’ movement patterns, mapping them to the differing chal […]
• Raag Kabiri Bhairav •
S-r-G-m-P-dD-nN-S Anuraag Dhoundeyal, writing in Swarajya magazine, considers Kabiri Bhairav to express “the angst of mystic experiences” (the ‘Kabir’ of the title refers to the famous 14th-century poet-mystic, highly influential on Sikh scriptures as well as the Hindu Bhakti movement through his radical critiques of organised religion). The raga’s poorvang matches with Bhairav (SrGm), however […]
• Raag Din ki Puriya •
S-r-G-M-d-N-S Din ki Puriya (‘Daytime Puriya’) sets its six swaras to the general phrase patterns of the Puriya–ang, avoiding Pa throughout. The scale’s ‘palindromic hexagon’ places a tight hemitonic cluster (NSr) opposite a wider tone-trio (GMd), also providing an augmented ‘equilateral triangle’ (SGd). Melodic motions remain fairly free, given the lack of any prakriti ragas […]
• Raag Kamod •
S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S An intricate raga which draws together elements from many others (Tanarang: “this dynamic melody is rather complex…one can see clear shadows of Malhar [SmRP], Hameer [GmDP], and Kalyan [SRS, SDP], together with glimpses of Kedar [MPDP] and Chayanat [PDPS, SRS]”). Distinguishing sequences include RRP, GmPGmRS, the taar Sa is accentuated with long P/S slides, […]
• Raag Vihang •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-N-S Vihang (Sanskrit for ‘Bird’) is a complex double-Ma form, most prevalent among Jaipur-Atrauli gharana vocalists. Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar’s detailed demo casts it as a ‘phrase-based’ raga, combining a Bihag core with melodies from Purva, Jait Kalyan, and Puriya, alongside connecting phrases such as MDMG, rS – also linking it Marwa and Puriya Kalyan. Tabla scholar Aneesh Pradhan […]
• Raag Dev Gandhar •
S-R-gG-m-P-d-n-S A Gwalior gharana speciality described by Tanarang as “an old melodic form, not much in vogue…very sweet, its unique appeal stems from the application of both gandhars, elaborated similar to Jaunpuri”. Unlike Gandhari, Dev Gandhar allows for both Ga variants in aroha as well as avroh – with Parrikar providing a simple summary for […]
• Raag Champak •
S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S A seldom-heard neighbour of Khambavati, distinguished (often very subtly) by stronger use of shuddha ma, and sometimes involving a Gm\S catchphrase. Both ni swaras are used, with the komal introduced via vakra avroh motions (e.g. SRn). Named after a huge evergreen tree species with fragrant yellow-orange flowers, used in perfumery and featured in myths […]
• Raag Deepavali •
S-R-G-mM-D-N-S A tantalising invention of bansuri pioneer Pannalal Ghosh, with a scale resembling ‘Bihag no Pa’ (or even ‘Bilawal komal Pa’/’Major Scale b5‘). As with Pannababu’s other creations, debate persists as to exactly how he conceptualised the raga – his own renditions span a multitude of ideas, and, at the time of his sudden passing aged […]
• Raag Kokilapriya •
S-r-g-m-P-D-N-S The Carnatic Kokilapriya scale (mela #11) is still barely known in the North (‘kokilapriya’: ‘the one who is dear to the koel bird‘). Its unique shape, resembling ‘Bhairavi–Yaman’, has several curious properties: with an ‘all-komal’ poorvang (Srgm) and ‘all-shuddha’ uttarang (PDNS), it is ‘palindromic’ (=symmetric from Sa) – but 5 of its swaras are ‘imperfect’ […]
• Raag Jaitashree •
S-r-G-M-P-d-N-S A sunset raga prominent in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, blending Shree with Jait’s komal re incarnation. Some, such as Ulhas Kashalkar, render the aroha ‘triswari’, limiting it to the three swaras of Malashree (SGP), set in Jait Kalyan-style phrases such as SG, GP, PSP – although the avroh is more clustered, often skipping taar Sa […]
• Raag Yaman Kalyan •
S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S While the terms ‘Yaman’ and ‘Kalyan’ are often used interchangeably, the name ‘Yaman Kalyan’ refers to a distinct double-Ma variant of the parent raga, which sees shuddha ma inserted in descending phrases such as PMG, GmG. Vilayat Khan outlined his view of the raga’s characteristic twin-Ma interaction in the opening remarks to a sublime sitar–shehnai […]
• Raag Kukubh Bilawal •
S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S A Bilawal variant seasoned with poorvang shades of Jhinjhoti and Jaijaiwanti, which enjoys a notable presence in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Shuddha Re typically takes centre stage, often ornamented from above as (G)R. Distinguishing phrases include SNS(G)R, GRGPmG, mGRGS(G)R, with most other movements falling into the framework of Alhaiya Bilawal (although the Agra interpretation tends […]
• Raag Khambavati •
S-R-G-m-P-D-n-S A loose mixture involving Khamaj, Jhinjhoti, and Mand, with different renditions emphasising varied facets of these ragas. The movements of the former tend to predominate: as per Deepak Raja, “normally performed in slow or medium tempo, with low to medium melodic density…an instant identification of Khambavati, as distinct from Jhinjhoti, requires consummate musicianship. This depends […]
