Ragamala paintings

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Bhairavi Ragini, Ragamala, an album painting in gouache on paper. 1610

Ragamala Paintings are a series of illustrative paintings from medieval India based on Ragamala or the 'Garland of Ragas', depicting various Indian musical nodes, Ragas. It stands as a classical example of amalgamation of art, poetry and classical music in medieval India ^[1]

Ragamala paintings were created in most schools of India painting, starting in the 16th and 17th century and are today named accordingly, as Mughal Ragamala, Rajasthan or Rajput Ragamala, Pahari Ragamala and Deccan Ragamala.

In these painting each raga is personified by a colour, mood, a verse describing a story of a hero and heroine (nayaka and nayika), it also elucidates the season and the time of day and night in which a particular raga is to be sung; and finally most paintings also demarcate the specific Hindu deities attached with the raga, like Bhairava or Bhairavi to Shiva, Sri to Devi etc. The paintings depict not just the Ragas, but also their wives, (raginis), thier numerous sons (ragaputra) and daughters (ragaputri) ^[2].

Six principal ragas present in the Ragamala are Bhairava, Dipika, Sri, Malkaunsa, Megha and Hindola and these are meant to be sung during the six seasons of the year; summer, monsoon, autumn, early winter, winter and spring.

1 History
2 Extant works
3 The Ragas in Ragamala
4 Gallery
5 Further reading
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Sangeeta Ratnakara, is an important treatise of the 12th century A.D. on the classification of Indian Ragas, which first time mentions the presiding deity of each raga ^[3].

14th century onwards, they were described in short verses in Sanskrit, for |Dhyana, 'contemplation', and later depicted in a series of paintings, called the Ragamala paintings ^[4]

Some of the best available works of Ragamala is from 16th and 17th century, where it flourished under royal patronage ^[5], though by 19th century, it gradually faded.

[edit] Extant works

Raag Poorvi folio in an album, with 36 Ragamala paintings, 17th century.

In 1570, Kshemakarna, a priest of Rewa in Central India, compiled a poetic text on the Ragamala in Sanskrit, which describes six principal Ragas--Bhairava, Malakoshika, Hindola, Dipaka, Shri, and Megha--each having five Raginis and eight Ragaputras, except Raga Shri, which has six Raginis and nine Ragaputras, thus making a Ragamala family of 86 members ^[6]

Most of the extant works of Ragamala are from Deccan style, where Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur, was himself also a fine painter and illustrator, though some Rajput style also exist of which the work of an artist of the Mewar school of painting, Sahibdin, whose Ragamala (musical modes) series dated 1628, are now in National Museum of India ^[7]

[edit] The Ragas in Ragamala

Six are male (parent) ragas; the thirty raginis are their wives and the remaining forty-eight are their sons. These are listed is as follows:

(1) Parent Raga: Bhairav raga

Wives: Bhairavi, Bilawali, Punyaki, Bangli, Aslekhi. Sons: Pancham, Harakh, Disakh, Bangal, Madhu, Madhava, Lalit, Bilaval.

(2) Parent Raga: Malkaus raga

Wives: Gaundkari, Devagandhari, Gandhari, Seehute, Dhanasri. Sons: Maru, Mustang, Mewara, Parbal, Chand, Khokhat, Bhora, Nad.

(3) Parent Raga: Hindol raga

Wives: Telangi, Devkari, Basanti, Sindhoori, Aheeri. Sons: Surmanand, Bhasker, Chandra-Bimb, Mangalan, Ban, Binoda, Basant, Kamoda.

(4) Parent Raga: Deepak raga

Wives: Kachheli, Patmanjari, Todi, Kamodi, Gujri. Sons: Kaalanka, Kuntal, Rama, Kamal, Kusum, Champak, Gaura, Kanra [36].

(5) Parent Raga: Sri raga

Wives: Bairavi, Karnati, Gauri, Asavari, Sindhavi. Sons: Salu, Sarag, Sagra, Gaund, Gambhir, Gund, Kumbh, Hamir.

(6) Parent Raga: Megh raga

Wives: Sorath, Gaundi-Malari, Asa, Gunguni, Sooho. Sons: Biradhar, Gajdhar, Kedara, Jablidhar, Nut, Jaldhara, Sankar, Syama.

[edit] Gallery

Raga Sri, Ragamala, 1590-1600.	Bhairava raga, Ragamala, Chunar, 1591.	Todi Ragini, Ragamala, Bundi, Rajasthan, 1591.	Sarang ragini, Ragamala, ca1605.
Raag Deepak, in Ragamala by Sahibdin 1605.	Asavari Ragini, Ragamala, 1610.	Malasri Ragini, Ragamala, Rajasthan. 1620.	Pancham Ragini, Ragamala, 1680-1690.
Goda raga, Ragamala, ca 1710.	Kuntala Raga, 'son' of Dipakeda Raga, Ragamala, 1710.	Ragaputra Velavala of Bhairava. 1710.	Alhaiya raga, Son of Bhairava Raga, Ragamala, c1720.
Hindola Raga, Ragamala, 17th century.	Vasant Ragini, Ragamala, Rajput, 1770.	Radha-Krishna, a depiction of Bhairava Raga, Ragamala. ca 1770.	Raga Sri recital to Krishna-Radha, 19th century.