Hēmavati is the 58th mēḷakartai in the sampūrṇa mēḷa systemii. It is the fourth raga in the tenth chakraiii (Diśi chakra). This rāga was known by the name Dēśisimhārava in the asampūrṇa mēḷa systemiv. The svarasv occurring in this rāga are ṣaḍja, chatuśruti riṣabha, sādhāraṇa gāndhāra, prati madhyama, pañcama, chatuśruti dhaivata, kaiśiki niṣādavi. Its ārōhaṇavii and avarōhaṇaviii are
S R2 G2 M2 P D2 N2 Ṡ – Ṡ N2 D2 P M2 G2 R2 S.
In Western music notation, if C is taken as the base or tonic note, then the scale is
C D D# F# G A A# C – C A# A G F# D# D C.
It is a rāga that has been adopted into Hindustani music. This scale is also obtained by modulation in Western music (E Harmonic Minor).
It is a mūrchanakāraka mēḷaix and gives rise to Vakuḷābharaṇa from riṣabha, Kōsala from gāndhāra, Kīravāṇi from pañchama through the process of grahabhēda or modal shift of tonic.
Riṣabha and dhaivata are rāgachāyā svarasx and nyāsa svarasxi. Sa-pa, ri-da, ri-pa are vādi-samvādi svaras (consonant notes).
It can portray rasasxii like karuṇā (compassion) very effectively, just as it can convey the feeling of devotion or bhakti bhāva.
Some of the signature phrases of this rāga are
D N, D P, – M P D N D P M G, R, – G R S Ṇ Ḍ Ṇ, S, – R, S R G R G, – G R G M, P, – P M N D, N P, D M, – M P D N Ṡ N, D, – N, N, D P M G R G M P D N Ṡ N, D, N, – D N Ġ Ṙ, Ṡ, – Ṙ Ġ Ṁ Ṗ Ṁ Ġ Ṙ Ṡ, Ṙ N, D, – P D N Ġ Ṙ Ġ Ṡ Ṙ N Ṙ Ṡ Ṡ N N, D, – N, D P M – P Ġ Ṙ Ṙ Ṡ Ṡ N D P M – P M N D P M G, R, – S Ṇ Ḍ Ṇ S,
A few compositions in this rāga are-
Chalamēla (varṇam)
Vīṇā Bhairavamūrthy
Śrī kāntimatīm
Muttuswāmi Dīkṣitar
Madhurāmbikāyām
Muttuswāmi Dīkṣitar
Manadē maravādē
Kōṭīśwara Iyer
Bibliography
Hariharan, M. and Kuppuswamy, Gowri. 2011. Comparative Music- Fundamentals of Western Music. Nagercoil: CBH Publications
Keshavamurthy, R.R. 1964. Rāgalakṣaṇa mattu Rāgakōśa. Bengaluru: Gāna Viśārada Biḍāram Kṛṣṇappa Smāraka Saṅgīta Vidyālaya
Rajarao, Mysore L. 2003. Saṅgīta Śāstra Chandrike. Bengaluru: Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy
Rao, B. Subba. 1980. Raganidhi. Madras: The Music Academy
Sambamoorthy, P. 2018 (reprint of eighth edition published in 1998). South Indian Music (Volumes 1 to 6). Chennai: The Indian Music Publishing House
Web Links
1. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute)
2. Sandip Chatterjee (santoor)
Ustad Amjad ali Khan plays raag Hemavati on the sarod.
Explore our Academy Courses
Explore all our live and on-demand music courses guided by world-class maestros. From beginners taking their first steps to advanced students refining their craft, our globally accessible platform empowers you to learn, grow, and connect deeply with the tradition of Indian classical music
Trending on YouTube
Visit our YouTube channel to see a huge range of our content archive