DhanashreeSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- The most important note differs: Bhimpalasi centres on M, Dhanashree on P.
Hindustani raga
Bhimpalasi
A soft afternoon raga with emphasis on Ma; tender and yearning.
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- Thaat
- Kafi
- Jati
- Audava–Sampurna
- Notes
- 7 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Afternoon
- Rasa
- Shringar, Karuna
- Vadi (main note)
- Ma (M)
- Samvadi (second note)
- Sa (S)
Your guide to Bhimpalasi
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Bhimpalasi, rising then falling.
Its mood
Shringar, Karuna. Traditionally heard at afternoon.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Bhimpalasi, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Bhimpalasi 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
Bhimpalasi sounds soft and wistful, in a mood closer to a Western minor key. Its emotional colour is love and beauty, sometimes the sweet ache of missing someone; and tenderness and sorrow, the feeling of a sad song that still comforts you. Traditionally it is traditionally performed in the afternoon, because Indian musicians believe each raga matches the feeling of a certain hour or season.
How to recognise it
- The melody goes up with 5 notes but comes down with 7, so the climb and the descent sound noticeably different.
- Notice which note the musician keeps returning to and resting on: in Bhimpalasi that's M, with S as its partner. These are the raga's "home base" notes after Sa.
- 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 soft afternoon raga with emphasis on Ma; tender and yearning. The beauty of Bhimpalasi 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
- Kafi, Sughrai, Hussaini Kanada 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, Kharaharapriya (Carnatic) and Sri (Carnatic) uses the same notes. Listening to both side by side shows how the two traditions shape the same material differently.
- In Hindustani music, a raga usually unfolds slowly. The performance often begins with a long, beat-less exploration (alaap) where the musician reveals the raga one note at a time.
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 musician dwelling on M. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Bhimpalasi.
History & evolution
Hindustani ragas mostly developed through oral tradition, passed guru to disciple. Medieval treatises such as Sangita Ratnakara (13th c.) and the later Raga-Ragini systems grouped them into 'families'.
In the early 20th century, V. N. Bhatkhande organised Hindustani ragas into ten thaats (parent scales). Bhimpalasi is classified under Kafi thaat. The thaat is a modern classification, not necessarily the raga's historical origin.
Each gharana (school) interprets ragas slightly differently, so a raga's phrasing has kept evolving through the 19th and 20th centuries, and further through recordings and radio.
Looking for more history…
Scale
Arohana (ascent) · 5 notes
n S g M P n S'
- Devanagari
- नि̱ सा ग̱ म प नि̱ सा•
- Bengali
- নি̱ সা গা̱ মা পা নি̱ সা•
Avarohana (descent) · 7 notes
S' n D P M g R S
- Devanagari
- सा• नि̱ ध प म ग̱ रे सा
- Bengali
- সা• নি̱ ধা পা মা গা̱ রে সা
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) |
|---|---|---|
| Sa | Unison | C |
| Shuddh Re | Major 2nd | D |
| Komal Ga | Minor 3rd | D# |
| Shuddh Ma | Perfect 4th | F |
| Pa | Perfect 5th | G |
| Shuddh Dha | Major 6th | A |
| Komal Ni | Minor 7th | A# |
Character
Jati (Audava–Sampurna). The ascent uses 5 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. Kafi thaat: Komal Ga and Ni. Equivalent to the Dorian mode and Carnatic Kharaharapriya.
Time (Afternoon). Sung from midday through the afternoon (roughly noon–4 PM), the time of Sarang and Kafi-family ragas.
Vadi and samvadi. M is the king note, the most emphasised and returned to. S is the minister, the second most important note.
Shringar
Romance and beauty, including love in union (sambhoga) and longing in separation (viraha).
Karuna
Compassion, pathos and sorrow.
Notable compositions
- Jaa jaa re apne mandirva
Listen
Each link opens a YouTube or Spotify search for this raga by the instrument or artist.
Vocal
Flute (Bansuri)
Sitar
Sarod
Same notes in Carnatic music
These ragas use exactly the same notes, though their phrasing and ornaments differ.
Kharaharapriya · CarnaticSri · CarnaticKanada · CarnaticAnandabhairavi · CarnaticHuseni · CarnaticReetigowla · CarnaticDarbar · CarnaticBhanumati · CarnaticAbheri · CarnaticmArgahindOLaM · CarnaticAdi Kapi · CarnaticAryamati · CarnaticBalachandrika · CarnaticBhagavatapriya · CarnaticBhagavathpriya · CarnaticChakrapradipta · CarnaticDevamruthavarshani · CarnaticDhanakapi · CarnaticDilipika · CarnaticGowla Kannada · CarnaticHarinarayani · CarnaticHindustani Kapi · CarnaticJayanarayani · CarnaticKalanidhi · CarnaticKannadagowla · CarnaticKarnataka Kapi · CarnaticKarnataka Devagandhari · CarnaticKarnaranjani · CarnaticKowmodaki · CarnaticLalitamanohari · CarnaticMadhavamanohari · CarnaticMalavashree · CarnaticMayapradeeptam · CarnaticMandamari · CarnaticManjari · CarnaticMaruvadhanyasi · CarnaticNadachintamani · CarnaticNadatarangini · CarnaticNadavarangini · CarnaticNagari · CarnaticNayaki · CarnaticPanchamam · CarnaticPhalamanjari · CarnaticPhalaranjani · CarnaticPoornakalanidhi · CarnaticRudrapriya · CarnaticSalagabhairavi · CarnaticSaindhavi · CarnaticSangrama · CarnaticSarvachoodamani · CarnaticSiddhasena · CarnaticSuddha Bhairavi · CarnaticSuddha Manohari · CarnaticSuddha Velavali · CarnaticSugunabhooshani · CarnaticSwarabhooshani · CarnaticSwarakalanidhi · CarnaticSwararanjani · CarnaticTavamukhari · Carnatic
Ragas with the same notes
Same notes, but a different character because of emphasis, movement and phrasing.
Why this time of day?
Bhimpalasi is traditionally sung: Afternoon.
- Hindustani music follows the samay chakra, a 'clock of ragas'. Musicians noticed over centuries that certain combinations of notes match the feeling of certain hours, and teachers passed these timings on as a rule.
- Midday and afternoon ragas (like the Sarang family) often use natural Re and Pa prominently. Their open, airy sound matches the heat and stillness of the middle of the day.
- Its most important note (M) sits in the lower half of the scale (purvanga). By tradition, ragas centred in the lower half are sung from noon to midnight.
- These are traditions, not physics. Today, recordings and concert schedules mean ragas are often heard at other times, but many musicians still honour the samay chakra.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Bhimpalasi, and how to tell them apart.
SughraiSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Bhimpalasi climbs n S g M P n S', while Sughrai climbs S R g M P n S'.
- They belong to different times: Bhimpalasi is sung in the afternoon, Sughrai in the night.
Hussaini KanadaSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Bhimpalasi climbs n S g M P n S', while Hussaini Kanada climbs S R g M P n S'.
- They belong to different times: Bhimpalasi is sung in the afternoon, Hussaini Kanada in the night.
- Mood: Bhimpalasi leans shringar, karuna, Hussaini Kanada leans gambhira.
KafiSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Bhimpalasi climbs n S g M P n S', while Kafi climbs S R g M P D n S'.
- Bhimpalasi uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- The most important note differs: Bhimpalasi centres on M, Kafi on P.
- They belong to different times: Bhimpalasi is sung in the afternoon, Kafi in the night.
PatmanjariSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Bhimpalasi climbs n S g M P n S', while Patmanjari climbs S R M P n S'.
- They belong to different times: Bhimpalasi is sung in the afternoon, Patmanjari in the morning.
Kafi KanadaSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Bhimpalasi climbs n S g M P n S', while Kafi Kanada climbs S R g M P D n S'.
- Coming down: Bhimpalasi descends S' n D P M g R S, while Kafi Kanada descends S' n P M g M R S.
- They belong to different times: Bhimpalasi is sung in the afternoon, Kafi Kanada in the night.
Other ragas from Kafi
Bageshree · HindustaniKafi · HindustaniMegh Malhar · HindustaniMiyan ki Malhar · HindustaniMegh · HindustaniDhani · HindustaniMadhuranjani · HindustaniHamsa Kinkini · HindustaniSughrai · HindustaniLankadahan Sarang · HindustaniHussaini Kanada · HindustaniPatmanjari · HindustaniKafi Kanada · HindustaniShahana · HindustaniSuha · HindustaniBahar · HindustaniBageshree Kanada · HindustaniNat Malhar · HindustaniMira ki Malhar · HindustaniChhaya Malhar · HindustaniGunji Kanada · HindustaniAbhogi Kanada · HindustaniNayaki Kanada · HindustaniKaunsi Kanada · Hindustani
Film songs in this raga
Bollywood (Hindi)
- YouTubeSpotify
Naina barse rimjhim
Woh Kaun Thi? (1964)
- YouTubeSpotify
Tu chhupi hai kahan
Navrang (1959)
- YouTubeSpotify
Khilte hain gul yahan
Sharmilee (1971)
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, …).