SharadapriyaOne note apart
- Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 uses Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1), which Sharadapriya does not.
Carnatic raga
Mahati cf. Mela 28&43
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 20 Natabhairavi. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here.
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- Melakarta
- 20 Natabhairavi (janya)
- Jati
- Audava–Audava
- Notes
- 6 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Varied
Your guide to Mahati cf. Mela 28&43
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Mahati cf. Mela 28&43, rising then falling.
Its mood
Varied. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Mahati cf. Mela 28&43, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 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
Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 sounds dark, deep and inward, full of the lowered (komal) notes that make music sound serious or sad. 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. Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 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 20 Natabhairavi. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here. The beauty of Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 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 Mahati cf. Mela 28&43.
History & evolution
Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 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) · 5 notes
S G2 P D1 N2 S'
- Devanagari
- स ग₂ प ध₁ नि₂ स•
- Tamil
- ஸ க₂ ப த₁ நி₂ ஸ•
- Telugu
- స గ₂ ప ద₁ ని₂ స•
- Kannada
- ಸ ಗ₂ ಪ ದ₁ ನಿ₂ ಸ•
Avarohana (descent) · 5 notes
S' N2 P G2 R2 S
- Devanagari
- स• नि₂ प ग₂ रि₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ• நி₂ ப க₂ ரி₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స• ని₂ ప గ₂ రి₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ• ನಿ₂ 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# |
| Shatshruti Dhaivatam (D3) / Kaishiki Nishadam (N2) | Minor 7th | A# |
Omitted (varjya) swaras: Ma.
Character
Jati (Audava–Audava). The ascent uses 5 distinct notes and the descent 5. Audava = 5, Shadava = 6, Sampurna = 7.
Krama (straight) movement. Notes are taken in order going up and coming down.
Parent scale. Melakarta 20 sits in chakra 4 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 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?
Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 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.
- Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Mahati cf. Mela 28&43, and how to tell them apart.
SukumariOne note apart
- Sukumari uses Shuddha Madhyamam (M1), which Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 avoids.
KanakavasanthamOne note apart
- Kanakavasantham uses Shuddha Madhyamam (M1), which Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 avoids.
- Kanakavasantham uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
RatipatipriyaOne note apart
- Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 uses Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1), which Ratipatipriya does not.
GopikavasantamOne note apart
- Gopikavasantam uses Shuddha Madhyamam (M1), which Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 avoids.
IndughantaravaOne note apart
- Indughantarava uses Shuddha Madhyamam (M1), which Mahati cf. Mela 28&43 avoids.
- Indughantarava uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
Other ragas from 20 Natabhairavi
Hindolam · CarnaticBhairavi · CarnaticNatabhairavi · CarnaticAnandabhairavi · CarnaticNareretigowla · CarnaticAbheri · CarnaticAmrithavahini · CarnaticBhuvanagandhari · CarnaticChapagantarva · CarnaticDevakriya · CarnaticDharmaprakashini · CarnaticDilipika Vasantha · CarnaticDivyagandhari · CarnaticGopikavasantam · CarnaticHindolavasanta · CarnaticIndughantarava · CarnaticJayanthashri · CarnaticJingala · CarnaticKatyayani · CarnaticKamakhyapriya · CarnaticKanakavasantham · CarnaticKshanika · CarnaticManji · CarnaticMalkosh / Malkauns · 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, …).