BhanupriyaOne note apart
- Chandrika uses Panchamam, which Bhanupriya does not.
Carnatic raga
Chandrika
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 21 Kiravani. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here.
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- Melakarta
- 21 Kiravani (janya)
- Jati
- Shadava–Shadava
- Notes
- 6 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Varied
Your guide to Chandrika
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Chandrika, rising then falling.
Its mood
Varied. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Chandrika, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Chandrika has its own notes, its own favourite phrases, its own time of day and its own mood, the way a person has a recognisable voice and way of talking.
How it feels
Chandrika sounds soft and wistful, in a mood closer to a Western minor key. Its emotional colour is a character all its own. Traditionally it can be performed at any hour, because Indian musicians believe each raga matches the feeling of a certain hour or season.
How to recognise it
- Listen for the gaps. Chandrika never uses Ma, so the melody seems to skip over certain steps. This "missing note" sound is one of the quickest giveaways.
- Hum the scale along with the play button above a few times. Once the shape of those notes is in your ear, you'll start spotting it in songs and concerts.
Its beauty
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 21 Kiravani. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here. The beauty of Chandrika comes from patience: a good performer doesn't rush through the scale but lingers, bending into notes and letting each phrase breathe, so the mood builds slowly until it fills the room.
What makes it different
- In Carnatic music, notes are rarely held still. They wobble, slide and bend (called gamakas), and those shakes are as much a part of the raga's identity as the notes themselves.
Listening exercise: Try this: press "Full scale" above, then open one of the recordings below. In the first few minutes, see if you can hear the missing Ma. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Chandrika.
History & evolution
Chandrika is a janya (derived) raga, drawing its notes from its parent melakarta. Janya ragas often existed long before the melakarta system and were later fitted into it.
The Carnatic Trinity of the 18th–19th centuries (Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri) gave lasting shape to most popular ragas through their compositions. Their kritis remain the standard reference for how each raga should move.
Looking for more history…
Scale
Arohana (ascent) · 6 notes
S R2 G2 P D1 N3 S'
- Devanagari
- स रि₂ ग₂ प ध₁ नि₃ स•
- Tamil
- ஸ ரி₂ க₂ ப த₁ நி₃ ஸ•
- Telugu
- స రి₂ గ₂ ప ద₁ ని₃ స•
- Kannada
- ಸ ರಿ₂ ಗ₂ ಪ ದ₁ ನಿ₃ ಸ•
Avarohana (descent) · 6 notes
S' N3 D1 P G2 R2 S
- Devanagari
- स• नि₃ ध₁ प ग₂ रि₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ• நி₃ த₁ ப க₂ ரி₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స• ని₃ ద₁ ప గ₂ రి₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ• ನಿ₃ ದ₁ ಪ ಗ₂ ರಿ₂ ಸ
Synthesised with Sa = A3. A real performance uses gamakas, meends and phrasing that a bare scale can't capture.
Notes on the octave
S
C
r
C#
R
D
g
D#
G
E
M
F
M#
F#
P
G
d
G#
D
A
n
A#
N
B
| Swara | Interval from Sa | Western (Sa = C) |
|---|---|---|
| Shadjam | Unison | C |
| Chatushruti Rishabham (R2) / Shuddha Gandharam (G1) | Major 2nd | D |
| Shatshruti Rishabham (R3) / Sadharana Gandharam (G2) | Minor 3rd | D# |
| Panchamam | Perfect 5th | G |
| Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1) | Minor 6th | G# |
| Kakali Nishadam (N3) | Major 7th | B |
Omitted (varjya) swaras: Ma.
Character
Jati (Shadava–Shadava). The ascent uses 6 distinct notes and the descent 6. Audava = 5, Shadava = 6, Sampurna = 7.
Krama (straight) movement. Notes are taken in order going up and coming down.
Parent scale. Melakarta 21 sits in chakra 4 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Chandrika is a janya (derived) raga, drawing its notes from this parent.
Time (Any time). Not tied to a particular time; often placed by convention at a set point in a concert.
Listen
Each link opens a YouTube or Spotify search for this raga by the instrument or artist.
Vocal
Flute (Venu)
Veena
Violin
Nadaswaram
Why this time of day?
Chandrika is associated with: Any time.
- In Carnatic music, the time of day is a gentle custom rather than a strict rule. Most ragas can be sung at any concert, and the time linked to a raga usually comes from temple rituals and old practice.
- Chandrika has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Chandrika, and how to tell them apart.
JayashreeOne note apart
- Jayashree uses Shuddha Madhyamam (M1), which Chandrika avoids.
SimhendramadhyamamOne note apart
- Simhendramadhyamam uses Prati Madhyamam (M2), which Chandrika avoids.
- They belong to different times: Chandrika is sung in the any time, Simhendramadhyamam in the evening.
- Mood: Chandrika leans varied, Simhendramadhyamam leans karuna.
KeeravaniOne note apart
- Keeravani uses Shuddha Madhyamam (M1), which Chandrika avoids.
- Mood: Chandrika leans varied, Keeravani leans karuna.
KatyayaniOne note apart
- Chandrika uses Kakali Nishadam (N3), which Katyayani does not.
RishipriyaOne note apart
- Rishipriya uses Shuddha Madhyamam (M1), which Chandrika avoids.
- Rishipriya uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
Linked ragas & variants
Ragas from the same family or named after Chandrika, such as Yaman and Yaman Kalyan. They are related but each has its own rules.
Other ragas from 21 Kiravani
Keeranavali · CarnaticAymmukhan · CarnaticBhanupriya · CarnaticBeethovanapriya · CarnaticGaganabhoopalam · CarnaticHamsapancama · CarnaticHamsavahini · CarnaticJayashree · CarnaticKadaram · CarnaticKusumavali · CarnaticMadhavi · CarnaticMishramanolayam · CarnaticPriyadarshani · CarnaticRishipriya · CarnaticSamapriya · CarnaticShrothasvini · CarnaticVasanthamanohari · Carnatic
Film songs in this raga
Bollywood (Hindi)
No well-known Hindi film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
Other Indian films (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi)
No regional film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
Top Bollywood songTop Tamil songTop Telugu songTop Malayalam songTop Kannada songTop Bengali songTop Marathi song
Film songs often take liberties with a raga, so treat these as "based on" rather than strict renditions.
Discussion
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Notation: Hindustani komal notes are lowercase (r g d n), M# = tivra Ma, ' = upper octave. Carnatic numbers mark swara variants (R1, G3, …).