KadanakuthuhalamSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
Carnatic raga
Shankarabharanam
The Carnatic major scale; a grand sampoorna melakarta equivalent to Hindustani Bilawal.
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- Melakarta
- 29 Dheerashankarabharanam
- Jati
- Sampurna–Sampurna
- Notes
- 7 of 12
- Movement
- Vakra (zig-zag)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Shringara, Vira
Your guide to Shankarabharanam
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Shankarabharanam, rising then falling.
Its mood
Shringara, Vira. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Shankarabharanam, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Shankarabharanam 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
Shankarabharanam sounds bright, open and sunny, close to the familiar Western major scale (do-re-mi). Its emotional colour is love and beauty, sometimes the sweet ache of missing someone; and courage and strength, bold and confident. 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
The Carnatic major scale; a grand sampoorna melakarta equivalent to Hindustani Bilawal. The beauty of Shankarabharanam 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
- Arabhi, Begada, Atana 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, Nat (Hindustani) and Mand (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 Shankarabharanam.
History & evolution
Origin
An ancient raga. It became melakarta 29 (Dheerashankarabharanam) in the 17th-century melakarta system and inspired some of Tyagaraja's grandest kritis.
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 D2 N3 S
- Devanagari
- स रि₂ ग₃ म₁ प ध₂ नि₃ स
- Tamil
- ஸ ரி₂ க₃ ம₁ ப த₂ நி₃ ஸ
- Telugu
- స రి₂ గ₃ మ₁ ప ద₂ ని₃ స
- Kannada
- ಸ ರಿ₂ ಗ₃ ಮ₁ ಪ ದ₂ ನಿ₃ ಸ
Avarohana (descent) · 7 notes
S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
- Devanagari
- स नि₃ ध₂ प म₁ ग₃ रि₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ நி₃ த₂ ப ம₁ க₃ ரி₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స ని₃ ద₂ ప మ₁ గ₃ రి₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ ನಿ₃ ದ₂ 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 |
| Chatushruti Dhaivatam (D2) / Shuddha Nishadam (N1) | Major 6th | A |
| Kakali Nishadam (N3) | Major 7th | B |
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 29 sits in chakra 5 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Shankarabharanam 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.
Shringara
Romance and beauty, including love in union (sambhoga) and longing in separation (viraha).
Vira
Heroism, courage and vigour.
Notable compositions
- Swara raga sudha (Tyagaraja)
- Enduku peddala
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.
Arabhi · CarnaticBegada · CarnaticAtana · CarnaticBilahari · CarnaticJanaranjani · CarnaticKadanakuthuhalam · CarnaticNeelambari · CarnaticDevagandhari · CarnaticPratapa Nattai · CarnaticBehag · CarnaticChaya · CarnaticDhurvanki · CarnaticGajagowri · CarnaticGarudadhvani · CarnaticGowdamalhar · CarnaticHemant {Hindustani} · CarnaticJulavu · CarnaticKathanakuthuhalam · CarnaticKokilabhashani · CarnaticKolahalam · CarnaticKurinji · CarnaticKusumavichithra · CarnaticKutuhala · CarnaticMand {Hindustani} · CarnaticNagadhwani · CarnaticNarayanadeshakshi · CarnaticPahadi {Hindustani} · CarnaticPoornachandrika · CarnaticPoornagowla · CarnaticPoorvagowla · CarnaticSindhu · CarnaticSindhu Mandari · CarnaticSuddha Malavi · CarnaticSuddha Sarang · CarnaticSuddha Vasantha · CarnaticSuraranjani · CarnaticVallabhi · CarnaticVeerapratapa · Carnatic
Why this time of day?
Shankarabharanam 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.
- Shankarabharanam has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Shankarabharanam, and how to tell them apart.
GajagowriSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Shankarabharanam leans shringara, vira, Gajagowri leans varied.
JulavuSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Shankarabharanam leans shringara, vira, Julavu leans varied.
KathanakuthuhalamSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Shankarabharanam leans shringara, vira, Kathanakuthuhalam leans varied.
KurinjiSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Shankarabharanam leans shringara, vira, Kurinji leans varied.
KusumavichithraSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Shankarabharanam leans shringara, vira, Kusumavichithra leans varied.
Other ragas from 29 Dheerashankarabharanam
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)
- YouTubeSpotify
Sankara nadasarirapara
Telugu · Sankarabharanam (1980)
- YouTubeSpotify
Omkara nadanu
Telugu · Sankarabharanam (1980)
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, …).