SundaramanohariSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Gowrishankar climbs S R2 G2 M1 P N3 S', while Sundaramanohari climbs S R2 M1 P N3 S'.
Carnatic raga
Gowrishankar
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 23 Gourimanohari. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here.
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- Melakarta
- 23 Gourimanohari (janya)
- Jati
- Shadava–Sampurna
- Notes
- 7 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Varied
Your guide to Gowrishankar
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Gowrishankar, rising then falling.
Its mood
Varied. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Gowrishankar, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Gowrishankar 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
Gowrishankar 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
- The melody goes up with 6 notes but comes down with 7, so the climb and the descent sound noticeably different.
- 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 23 Gourimanohari. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here. The beauty of Gowrishankar 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
- Gourimanohari, Gowrivelavali, Hamsadeepika 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.
- 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 Gowrishankar.
History & evolution
Gowrishankar 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 M1 P N3 S'
- Devanagari
- स रि₂ ग₂ म₁ प नि₃ स•
- Tamil
- ஸ ரி₂ க₂ ம₁ ப நி₃ ஸ•
- Telugu
- స రి₂ గ₂ మ₁ ప ని₃ స•
- Kannada
- ಸ ರಿ₂ ಗ₂ ಮ₁ ಪ ನಿ₃ ಸ•
Avarohana (descent) · 7 notes
S' N3 D2 P M1 G2 R2 S
- Devanagari
- स• नि₃ ध₂ प म₁ ग₂ रि₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ• நி₃ த₂ ப ம₁ க₂ ரி₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స• ని₃ ద₂ ప మ₁ గ₂ రి₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ• ನಿ₃ ದ₂ ಪ ಮ₁ 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# |
| Shuddha Madhyamam (M1) | Perfect 4th | F |
| Panchamam | Perfect 5th | G |
| Chatushruti Dhaivatam (D2) / Shuddha Nishadam (N1) | Major 6th | A |
| Kakali Nishadam (N3) | Major 7th | B |
Character
Jati (Shadava–Sampurna). The ascent uses 6 distinct notes and the descent 7. Audava = 5, Shadava = 6, Sampurna = 7.
Krama (straight) movement. Notes are taken in order going up and coming down.
Parent scale. Melakarta 23 sits in chakra 4 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Gowrishankar 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
Ragas with the same notes
Same notes, but a different character because of emphasis, movement and phrasing.
Why this time of day?
Gowrishankar 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.
- Gowrishankar has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Gowrishankar, and how to tell them apart.
GourimanohariSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Gowrishankar climbs S R2 G2 M1 P N3 S', while Gourimanohari climbs S R2 G2 M1 P D2 N3 S'.
- Gowrishankar uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Gowrishankar leans varied, Gourimanohari leans varies.
GowrivelavaliSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Gowrishankar climbs S R2 G2 M1 P N3 S', while Gowrivelavali climbs S R2 G2 S R2 M1 P D2 S.
HamsadeepikaSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Gowrishankar climbs S R2 G2 M1 P N3 S', while Hamsadeepika climbs S R2 G2 M1 D2 S'.
VelavaliSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Gowrishankar climbs S R2 G2 M1 P N3 S', while Velavali climbs S G2 M1 D2 N3 S.
VasantashreeOne note apart
- Gowrishankar uses Panchamam, which Vasantashree does not.
- Gowrishankar uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
Other ragas from 23 Gourimanohari
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, …).