DhavalambariOne note apart
- Dhavalambari uses Panchamam, which Dharmini avoids.
- Mood: Dharmini leans varied, Dhavalambari leans varies.
Carnatic raga
Dharmini
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 49 Dhavalambari. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here.
♡ Sign in to save
No ratings yetSign in to rate
- Melakarta
- 49 Dhavalambari (janya)
- Jati
- Shadava–Shadava
- Notes
- 6 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Varied
Your guide to Dharmini
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Dharmini, rising then falling.
Its mood
Varied. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Dharmini, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Dharmini 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
Dharmini sounds mostly bright, with a few shadowed notes that add a bittersweet tint. 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. Dharmini never uses Pa or Ni, so the melody seems to skip over certain steps. This "missing note" sound is one of the quickest giveaways.
- It uses tivra (sharp) Ma, a note a little higher than you'd expect. It gives the music a lifting, yearning quality, as if it's leaning upward.
- It uses komal (flat) Re, the note just above the home note. Sliding off Sa onto this very close note creates tension right at the start of phrases.
Its beauty
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 49 Dhavalambari. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here. The beauty of Dharmini 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 Pa. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Dharmini.
History & evolution
Dharmini 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 R1 G3 M2 D1 N1 S'
- Devanagari
- स रि₁ ग₃ म₂ ध₁ नि₁ स•
- Tamil
- ஸ ரி₁ க₃ ம₂ த₁ நி₁ ஸ•
- Telugu
- స రి₁ గ₃ మ₂ ద₁ ని₁ స•
- Kannada
- ಸ ರಿ₁ ಗ₃ ಮ₂ ದ₁ ನಿ₁ ಸ•
Avarohana (descent) · 6 notes
S' N1 D1 M2 G3 R1 S
- Devanagari
- स• नि₁ ध₁ म₂ ग₃ रि₁ स
- Tamil
- ஸ• நி₁ த₁ ம₂ க₃ ரி₁ ஸ
- Telugu
- స• ని₁ ద₁ మ₂ గ₃ రి₁ స
- Kannada
- ಸ• ನಿ₁ ದ₁ ಮ₂ ಗ₃ ರಿ₁ 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 |
| Shuddha Rishabham (R1) | Minor 2nd | C# |
| Antara Gandharam (G3) | Major 3rd | E |
| Prati Madhyamam (M2) | Augmented 4th | F# |
| Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1) | Minor 6th | G# |
| Chatushruti Dhaivatam (D2) / Shuddha Nishadam (N1) | Major 6th | A |
Omitted (varjya) swaras: Pa, Ni.
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 49 sits in chakra 9 of 12 and uses prati madhyamam (M2). Dharmini 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?
Dharmini 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.
- Dharmini has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Dharmini, and how to tell them apart.
DhavalangamOne note apart
- Dhavalangam uses Panchamam, which Dharmini avoids.
- Dhavalangam uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
PatalambariOne note apart
- Dharmini uses Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1), which Patalambari does not.
KumudhakriyaTwo notes apart
- Dharmini uses Chatushruti Dhaivatam (D2), which Kumudhakriya does not.
- Kumudhakriya uses Kakali Nishadam (N3), which Dharmini avoids.
- Kumudhakriya uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
HamsanandiTwo notes apart
- Dharmini uses Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1), which Hamsanandi does not.
- Hamsanandi uses Kakali Nishadam (N3), which Dharmini avoids.
- They belong to different times: Dharmini is sung in the any time, Hamsanandi in the evening.
- Mood: Dharmini leans varied, Hamsanandi leans bhakti.
KalkadaTwo notes apart
- Dharmini uses Prati Madhyamam (M2), which Kalkada does not.
- Kalkada uses Panchamam, which Dharmini avoids.
Other ragas from 49 Dhavalambari
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
Sign in to join the discussion.
- No comments yet — be the first.
Notation: Hindustani komal notes are lowercase (r g d n), M# = tivra Ma, ' = upper octave. Carnatic numbers mark swara variants (R1, G3, …).