MichaleYarbrough at 15:47, 17 March 2026

2026-03-17T15:47:24Z

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{{Short description|Janya raga of Carnatic music}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Carnatic}}
{{Infobox ragam
| name = Bilahari
| synonym =
| image_name =
| image_alt =
| mela =
| chakra =
| type =
| arohanam = {{svaraC|S|R2|G3|P|D2|S'}}
| avarohanam = {{svaraC|S'|N3|D2|P|M1|G3|R2|S}}
| jeeva =
| chhaya =
| nyasa =
| vishesha =
| equivalent =
| similar =
}}

'''Bilahari''' is a [[rāga]]m in [[Carnatic music]] (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a ''[[janya]]'' rāgam (derived scale) from the 29th ''[[melakarta]]'' scale ''[[Dheerasankarabharanam|Sankarabharanam]]''. It is a ''janya'' scale, as it does not have all the seven ''[[swara]]s'' (musical notes) in the ascending scale. It is a combination of the pentatonic scale ''[[Mohanam]]'' and the ''[[sampurna raga]]'' scale ''Sankarabharanam''.<ref name="ragas">''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications</ref>

== Structure and Lakshana ==
[[Image:Mohanam scale.svg|thumb|right|300px|Ascending scale with ''shadjam'' at C, which is same as ''Mohanam'' scale]]
[[Image:Shankarabharanam scale.svg|thumb|right|300px|Descending scale with ''shadjam'' at C, which is same as ''Sankarabharanam'' scale]]

''Bilahari'' is an asymmetric rāgam that does not contain ''madhyamam'' or ''nishādham'' in the ascending scale. It is an ''audava-sampurna'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāgam, meaning pentatonic ascending scale).<ref name="ragas" /><ref name="raganidhi">''Raganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras</ref> Its ''{{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}}'' structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows:

*[[Arohana|{{IAST|ārohaṇa}}]] : {{svaraC|S|R2|G3|P|D2|S'|foot=yes}} they are used in every song

*[[Avarohanam|{{IAST|avarohaṇa}}]] : {{svaraC|S'|N3|D2|P|M1|G3|R2|S|foot=yes}}

The notes used in this scale are ''shadjam, chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandhara, panchamam'' and ''chathusruthi dhaivatham'' in ascending scale, with ''kakali nishadham'' and ''shuddha madhyamam'' included in descending scale. For the details of the notations and terms, see [[Swara#Svaras in Carnatic music|''swaras'' in Carnatic music]].

This rāgam also uses ''kaishiki nishadham'' (N2) as an external note (''anya swara'') in the descending scale. Hence it is considered a ''bhashanga rāgam'', a scale with notes external to the parent scale.<ref name="ragas" /><ref name="raganidhi" />

==Popular compositions==
There are many compositions set to ''Bilahari'' rāgam. Here are some popular ''[[Kriti (music)|kritis]]'' composed in ''Bilahari''.

*''Sharanu Janakana'' By [[Purandara Dasa]]
*''Belagu Javadi Baro'' By [[Vadiraja Tirtha]]
*''Lakshmi Shobhane'' By [[Vadiraja Tirtha]]. This is one of the greatest literary works of [[Vadiraja Tirtha]] with 112 Charanas and the longest composition known by a carnatic composer
*''Hanumana Maneyavaru'' by Vidyaprasanna Teertha in [[Kannada]]
*''Na Jeevadhara'', ''Tolijanma'', ''Dorakuna Ituvanti'', ''Kshethra Palaka'', ''Intha Kannanandamemi'', ''Narasimha Nannu Brovave'' and ''Kanugontini'' composed by [[Tyagaraja]]
*''Sri Balasubramanya'', ''Kamakshi Sri Varalakshmi'', ''Sri Sambashivam'', ''Ekadantham Bhajeham'', ''Hatakeshwara'' and ''Sri Madhurapuri'' by [[Muthuswami Dikshitar]]
*''Smara Sada'', ''Aaraadhayaami'', ''Gopalam Seveham'', ''Pahi Padmanabha'', ''Jaya Suganalaya'', ''Pahi Sarasanabha'', ''Sri Narasimha Jaya'', ''Santhatham Bhajami'' and ''Vimukhava Tava'' by Maharaja [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma]]
*''Karpagambike'', ''Sarvesha Adimaiyai'', ''Vaa Sharavanaa'', ''Jaya Vittala'', ''Pahi Meenalochani'' and '' Nijamunnai Nambinen'' by [[Papanasam Sivan]]
*''Parithana Michite'' and ''Raara Venugopa Bala([[Swarajati]])'' by [[Patnam Subramania Iyer]]
*''Sri Chamundeshwari'', ''Evarani Vedani'' and ''Dasharathe Pahimam'' by [[Mysore Vasudevacharya]]
*''Anaamilo Mahaboob'' is a Khayal in [[Hindi]] by Maharaja [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma]]
*''Vidudhalai Vidudhalai'' by [[Subramania Bharati]]
*'' Puraya Mama Kamam '' is a Tharangam by [[Narayana Teertha]]
*''Kaanbadeppo'' by [[Ambujam Krishna]]
* [[Rabindranath Tagore]] has composed ''Ami Marer Sagor Pari Debo''
*''Intha Chouka'' is an [[Adi tala]] [[Varnam]] composed by [[Veena Kuppayyar]]
*''Nenarunchi Elukora'' is an Ata [[tala (music)|tala]] [[varnam]] by Sonti Venkatasubbayya
*''Chalamela'' is an [[Adi tala]] [[Varnam]] composed by [[Mysore Vasudevachar]]
*''Maa Mayura'' a Tamil [[Kriti (music)|Kriti]] composed by Mazhavai Chidambara Bharathi
*''Maal Maruganai Ninaindidhu'' by Ramaswami Shivan
*''[[Tillana]]'' by [[Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar]]
*''Paripovalera'', ''Telise Vagalella'' and ''Iturara'' are Javalis by [[Pattabhiramayya]]

==Film songs==
===Language:[[Tamil language|Tamil]]===
{|class="wikitable"
!Song
!Movie
!Composer
!Singer
|-
|Orumaiyudan Ninathu Thirumalaradi
|[[Konjum Salangai]]
|[[S. M. Subbaiah Naidu]]
|[[Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi]]
|-
|Unnaikkandu Naanada
|[[Kalyana Parisu]]
|[[A. M. Rajah]]
| rowspan="3" |[[P. Susheela]]
|-
|Aval Melai Sirithaal
|[[Pachhai Vilakku (1964 film)|Pachhai Vilakku]]
|[[Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy]]
|-
|Vellikizhamai
|[[Nee!]]
|[[M. S. Viswanathan]]
|-
|Alayamani Kathave Thalthiravai
|[[Thiruvarutchelvar]]
|[[K. V. Mahadevan]]
|[[T. M. Soundararajan]], [[T. L. Maharajan|Master Maharajan]]
|-
|Kondaliley Megam
|[[Bala Nagamma (1981 film)|Bala Nagamma]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Illayaraja]]
|rowspan="2"|[[K.J. Yesudas]]
|-
|Nee ondruthan
|[[Unnal Mudiyum Thambi]]
|-
|Maaman Veedu
|[[Ellam Inba Mayyam]]
|[[Malaysia Vasudevan]]
|-
|Thendrale
|[[Kadhal Desam]]
|rowspan="8"|[[A. R. Rahman]]
|[[Mano (singer)|Mano]], [[Unni Krishnan]]
|-
|Omana Penne
|[[Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa]]
|[[Benny Dayal]], [[Kalyani Menon]]
|-
|Poo Pookum Osai
|[[Minsara Kanavu]]
|[[Sujatha Mohan]]
|-
|Pookkale Satru Oyevidungal
|[[I (2015 film)|I]]
|[[Haricharan]], [[Shreya Ghoshal]]
|-
|Kummi Adi
|[[Sillunu Oru Kaadhal]]
|[[Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram]], [[Swarnalatha]], [[Naresh Iyer]], [[Theni Kunjarammal]], Vignesh, Chorus
|-
|Kadhal Anukkal
|[[Enthiran]]
|[[Vijay Prakash]], [[Shreya Ghoshal]]
|-
|Vaanga Makka Vaanga
|[[Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014 film)|Kaaviya Thalaivan]]
|[[Haricharan]],Dr. Narayanan
|-
|Azhagiye
|[[Kaatru Veliyidai]]
|[[Arjun Chandy]], [[Haricharan]], [[Jonita Gandhi]]
|-
|Vaan Engum Nee Minna
|[[Endrendrum Punnagai]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Harris Jeyaraj]]
|[[Aalap Raju]], [[Harini (singer)|Harini]], [[Devan Ekambaram|Devan]], [[Praveen (actor)|Praveen]]
|-
|Then Kathu
|[[Gethu]]
|[[Haricharan]], [[Shashaa Tirupati]]
|-
| Mun Andhi
| [[7 Aum Arivu]]
| [[Karthik (singer)|Karthik]], [[Megha (singer)|Megha]]
|-
|Kalyana Sundari Yaro Oru Murai
|[[Adaikalam]]
|[[Sabesh–Murali]]
|[[Shankar Mahadevan]],[[Anuradha Sriram]]
|-
|Kanna Nee Thoongadaa
|[[Baahubali 2: The Conclusion]]
|rowspan=2|[[M. M. Keeravani]]
|Nayana Nair
|-
|Koelae
''("Nethalla Marandhida Adingada Janda")''
|[[RRR]]
|Vishal Mishra, Benny Dayal, Sahiti Chagandi, Harika Narayan
|-
|Siru Thoduthalile
|[[Laadam]]
|[[Dharan Kumar]]
|[[Bombay Jayashree]], [[Haricharan]]
|-
|Pularaadha
|[[Dear Comrade]]
|[[Justin Prabhakaran]]
|[[Sid Sriram]], Aishwarya Ravichandran
|-
|Rasavachiye
|[[Aranmanai 3]]
|[[C. Sathya]]
|[[Sid Sriram]]
|-
|Aradhya
|[[Kushi (2023 film)]]
|[[Hesham Abdul Wahab]]
|[[Sid Sriram]], [[Chinmayi Sripada]]
|-
|Kaami Kaami
|[[Tughlaq Durbar]]
|[[Govind Vasantha]]
|Govind Vasantha, Swastika Swaminathan
|}

== Related rāgams ==
This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

=== Scale similarities ===
*[[Mohanam]] has a symmetric pentatonic scale, with the notes same as the ascending scale of ''Bilahari''. Its ''{{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}}'' structure is S R2 G3 P D2 S : S D2 P G3 R2 S
*[[Sankarabharanam (raga)|Shankarabharanam]] is a rāgam with the notes same as the descending scale of ''Bilahari''. Its ''{{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}}'' structure is S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S : S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
*[[Mohanakalyani]] is a rāgam which has the ''prati madhyamam'' in descending scale (descending scale of ''[[Kalyani (raga)|Kalyani]]'') in place of the ''shuddha madhyamam''. Its ''{{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}}'' structure is S R2 G3 P D2 S : S N3 D2 P M2 G3 R2 S
*[[Garudadhvani]] is a rāgam which has the ascending and descending scales interchanged, in comparison with ''Bilahari''. Its ''{{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}}'' structure is S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S : S D2 P G3 R2 S
*''Desakshi'' is a rāgam which is similar to Bilahari. The arohana remains the same, while the sampoorna avarohana has Kaishiki Nishada in place of Kakali Nishada. Its ''{{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}}'' structure is S R2 G3 P D2 S : S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S

==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}

==References==
{{Portal|India|Music}}
{{reflist}}

{{Melakarta ragas|state=collapsed}}
{{Janya|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Janya ragas]]

Bilahari - Revision history

MichaleYarbrough at 15:47, 17 March 2026