BhimpalasiSame 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: Dhanashree centres on P, Bhimpalasi on M.
Hindustani raga
Dhanashree
Bhimpalasi-like with Pa as vadi.
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- Thaat
- Kafi
- Jati
- Audava–Sampurna
- Notes
- 7 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Afternoon
- Rasa
- Karuna
- Vadi (main note)
- Pa (P)
- Samvadi (second note)
- Sa (S)
Your guide to Dhanashree
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Dhanashree, rising then falling.
Its mood
Karuna. Traditionally heard at afternoon.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Dhanashree, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Dhanashree 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
Dhanashree sounds soft and wistful, in a mood closer to a Western minor key. Its emotional colour is 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 Dhanashree that's P, 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
Bhimpalasi-like with Pa as vadi. The beauty of Dhanashree 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
- Bhimpalasi, Kafi, Sughrai 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 P. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Dhanashree.
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). Dhanashree 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. P is the king note, the most emphasised and returned to. S is the minister, the second most important note.
Karuna
Compassion, pathos and sorrow.
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?
Dhanashree 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.
- 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 Dhanashree, 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: Dhanashree climbs n S g M P n S', while Sughrai climbs S R g M P n S'.
- They belong to different times: Dhanashree is sung in the afternoon, Sughrai in the night.
- Mood: Dhanashree leans karuna, Sughrai leans shringar.
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: Dhanashree climbs n S g M P n S', while Hussaini Kanada climbs S R g M P n S'.
- They belong to different times: Dhanashree is sung in the afternoon, Hussaini Kanada in the night.
- Mood: Dhanashree leans 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: Dhanashree climbs n S g M P n S', while Kafi climbs S R g M P D n S'.
- Dhanashree uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- They belong to different times: Dhanashree is sung in the afternoon, Kafi in the night.
- Mood: Dhanashree leans karuna, Kafi leans shringar.
PatmanjariSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Dhanashree climbs n S g M P n S', while Patmanjari climbs S R M P n S'.
- They belong to different times: Dhanashree 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: Dhanashree climbs n S g M P n S', while Kafi Kanada climbs S R g M P D n S'.
- Coming down: Dhanashree 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: Dhanashree is sung in the afternoon, Kafi Kanada in the night.
- Mood: Dhanashree leans karuna, Kafi Kanada leans shringar.
Linked ragas & variants
Ragas from the same family or named after Dhanashree, such as Yaman and Yaman Kalyan. They are related but each has its own rules.
Other ragas from Kafi
Bageshree · HindustaniBhimpalasi · 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 · Hindustani
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, …).