ChirswaroopiSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Charukesi leans karuna, Chirswaroopi leans varied.
Carnatic raga
Charukesi
A melancholic melakarta also adopted into Hindustani music.
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- Melakarta
- 26 Charukesi
- Jati
- Sampurna–Sampurna
- Notes
- 7 of 12
- Movement
- Vakra (zig-zag)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Karuna
Your guide to Charukesi
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Charukesi, rising then falling.
Its mood
Karuna. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Charukesi, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Charukesi 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
Charukesi sounds mostly bright, with a few shadowed notes that add a bittersweet tint. Its emotional colour is tenderness and sorrow, the feeling of a sad song that still comforts you. 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
- The melody zig-zags instead of climbing straight up a ladder. It takes little turns and steps back before moving on, which gives it a winding, conversational shape.
- 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 melancholic melakarta also adopted into Hindustani music. The beauty of Charukesi 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
- Tarangini, Chirswaroopi, Maravi use the very same notes. Ragas aren't just scales: the difference lies in which notes are stressed, which phrases are used and how the melody moves. That's why two ragas built from the same notes can feel completely different.
- Across the North–South divide, Charukeshi (Hindustani) uses the same notes. Listening to both side by side shows how the two traditions shape the same material differently.
- 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 melody circling back to Sa. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Charukesi.
History & evolution
Origin
Largely developed through Tyagaraja's composition 'Adamodi Galade'. In the 20th century it was borrowed widely into Hindustani and film music.
The 72-melakarta system was devised by Venkatamakhin in his treatise Chaturdandi Prakasika (c. 1660). It is a mathematical grid that lists every possible seven-note scale built from Carnatic swara variants.
The melakarta names used today, encoded with the Katapayadi system so each name reveals its number, were standardised later by Govindacharya in the 18th century. Many melakartas existed only on paper until composers like Muthuswami Dikshitar and later Koteeswara Iyer wrote pieces in all 72.
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) · 7 notes
S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S
- Devanagari
- स रि₂ ग₃ म₁ प ध₁ नि₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ ரி₂ க₃ ம₁ ப த₁ நி₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స రి₂ గ₃ మ₁ ప ద₁ ని₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ ರಿ₂ ಗ₃ ಮ₁ ಪ ದ₁ ನಿ₂ ಸ
Avarohana (descent) · 7 notes
S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S
- Devanagari
- स नि₂ ध₁ प म₁ ग₃ रि₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ நி₂ த₁ ப ம₁ க₃ ரி₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స ని₂ ద₁ ప మ₁ గ₃ రి₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ ನಿ₂ ದ₁ ಪ ಮ₁ ಗ₃ 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 |
| Antara Gandharam (G3) | Major 3rd | E |
| Shuddha Madhyamam (M1) | Perfect 4th | F |
| Panchamam | Perfect 5th | G |
| Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1) | Minor 6th | G# |
| Shatshruti Dhaivatam (D3) / Kaishiki Nishadam (N2) | Minor 7th | A# |
Character
Jati (Sampurna–Sampurna). The ascent uses 7 distinct notes and the descent 7. Audava = 5, Shadava = 6, Sampurna = 7.
Vakra (zig-zag) movement. The scale doubles back on itself, so phrases have to follow its characteristic turns, not run straight up or down.
Parent scale. Melakarta 26 sits in chakra 5 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Charukesi is a parent (melakarta) scale with all seven notes in strict order.
Time (Any time). Not tied to a particular time; often placed by convention at a set point in a concert.
Karuna
Compassion, pathos and sorrow.
Notable compositions
- Adamodi galade (Tyagaraja)
Listen
Each link opens a YouTube or Spotify search for this raga by the instrument or artist.
Vocal
Flute (Venu)
Veena
Violin
Nadaswaram
Same notes in Hindustani music
These ragas use exactly the same notes, though their phrasing and ornaments differ.
Ragas with the same notes
Same notes, but a different character because of emphasis, movement and phrasing.
Why this time of day?
Charukesi 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.
- Charukesi has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Charukesi, and how to tell them apart.
ShukrajyothiSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Charukesi leans karuna, Shukrajyothi leans varied.
Shiva ManohariSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Charukesi climbs S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S, while Shiva Manohari climbs S M1 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S'.
- Shiva Manohari uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Charukesi leans karuna, Shiva Manohari leans varied.
UshabharanamSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Charukesi climbs S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S, while Ushabharanam climbs S G3 M1 D1 P M1 D1 N2 S'.
- Ushabharanam uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Charukesi leans karuna, Ushabharanam leans varied.
TaranginiSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Charukesi climbs S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S, while Tarangini climbs S R2 G3 P D1 N2 D1 S.
- Coming down: Charukesi descends S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S, while Tarangini descends S D1 P M1 G3 R2 S.
- Mood: Charukesi leans karuna, Tarangini leans varied.
MaraviSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Charukesi climbs S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S, while Maravi climbs S G3 M1 P N2 S'.
- Maravi uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Charukesi leans karuna, Maravi leans varied.
Other ragas from 26 Charukesi
Film songs in this raga
Bollywood (Hindi)
These Hindi film songs are in Charukeshi, the Hindustani counterpart of Charukesi.
- YouTubeSpotify
Baithe hain kya uske paas
Non-film (Ghazal)
- YouTubeSpotify
Chhod de saari duniya
Saraswatichandra (1968)
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, …).