Shuddha DhanyasiOne note apart
- Shuddha Dhanyasi uses Panchamam, which Nigamagamini avoids.
- Mood: Nigamagamini leans varied, Shuddha Dhanyasi leans bhakti.
Carnatic raga
Nigamagamini
A janya (derived) raga of melakarta 22 Kharaharapriya. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here.
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- Melakarta
- 22 Kharaharapriya (janya)
- Jati
- Svarantara–Svarantara
- Notes
- 4 of 12
- Movement
- Vakra (zig-zag)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Varied
Your guide to Nigamagamini
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Nigamagamini, rising then falling.
Its mood
Varied. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Nigamagamini, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Nigamagamini 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
Nigamagamini 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. Nigamagamini never uses Re or Pa or Dha, so the melody seems to skip over certain steps. This "missing note" sound is one of the quickest giveaways.
- 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 janya (derived) raga of melakarta 22 Kharaharapriya. It takes its notes from that parent scale, using the ascent and descent shown here. The beauty of Nigamagamini 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 Re. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Nigamagamini.
History & evolution
Nigamagamini 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) · 4 notes
M1 G2 S G2 M1 N2 S'
- Devanagari
- म₁ ग₂ स ग₂ म₁ नि₂ स•
- Tamil
- ம₁ க₂ ஸ க₂ ம₁ நி₂ ஸ•
- Telugu
- మ₁ గ₂ స గ₂ మ₁ ని₂ స•
- Kannada
- ಮ₁ ಗ₂ ಸ ಗ₂ ಮ₁ ನಿ₂ ಸ•
Avarohana (descent) · 4 notes
S' N2 M1 G2 M1 G2 S
- Devanagari
- स• नि₂ म₁ ग₂ म₁ ग₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ• நி₂ ம₁ க₂ ம₁ க₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స• ని₂ మ₁ గ₂ మ₁ గ₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ• ನಿ₂ ಮ₁ ಗ₂ ಮ₁ ಗ₂ 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 |
| Shatshruti Rishabham (R3) / Sadharana Gandharam (G2) | Minor 3rd | D# |
| Shuddha Madhyamam (M1) | Perfect 4th | F |
| Shatshruti Dhaivatam (D3) / Kaishiki Nishadam (N2) | Minor 7th | A# |
Omitted (varjya) swaras: Re, Pa, Dha.
Character
Jati (Svarantara–Svarantara). The ascent uses 4 distinct notes and the descent 4. 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 22 sits in chakra 4 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Nigamagamini 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?
Nigamagamini 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.
- Nigamagamini has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Nigamagamini, and how to tell them apart.
Karnataka HindolamOne note apart
- Karnataka Hindolam uses Chatushruti Dhaivatam (D2), which Nigamagamini avoids.
Suddha HindolamOne note apart
- Suddha Hindolam uses Chatushruti Dhaivatam (D2), which Nigamagamini avoids.
HindolamOne note apart
- Hindolam uses Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1), which Nigamagamini avoids.
- They belong to different times: Nigamagamini is sung in the any time, Hindolam in the night.
- Mood: Nigamagamini leans varied, Hindolam leans shanta, vira.
Malkosh / MalkaunsOne note apart
- Malkosh / Malkauns uses Shuddha Dhaivatam (D1), which Nigamagamini avoids.
UdayaragaOne note apart
- Udayaraga uses Panchamam, which Nigamagamini avoids.
Other ragas from 22 Kharaharapriya
Kharaharapriya · CarnaticAbhogi · CarnaticSri · CarnaticKanada · CarnaticMadhyamavati · CarnaticBrindavana Saranga · CarnaticHuseni · CarnaticKapi · CarnaticMukhari · CarnaticReetigowla · CarnaticShree Ranjani · CarnaticShuddha Dhanyasi · CarnaticDarbar · CarnaticAndolika · CarnaticAdi Kapi · CarnaticAryamati · CarnaticAgnikopa · CarnaticBalachandrika · CarnaticBasant Bahar {Hindustani} · CarnaticBhagavatapriya · CarnaticBhagavathpriya · CarnaticBrindavani · CarnaticChakrapradipta · CarnaticDayavati · 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, …).