Raga Kedar, also known as Kedara, is a

Hindustani classical Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...

. Named after

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, the raga occupies a high pedestal in Indian classical music. It is characterised by many melodious turns. This raga is the repetition of the

swaras Svara or swara (Devanagari: स्वर, generally pronounced as ''swar'') is a Sanskrit word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or '' ...

सा and म. It is generally accepted that it displays much thermal energy and is regarded as the Raagini of Raag Deepak. While preceding from Shuddha Madhyam (m) to Pancham (P), a touch of Gandhar (G) or a smooth passage from Gandhar (G) to Pancham (P) expressed as m G P is the more common way of instant raga manifestation.

Origin

The raga emerges from the

Kalyan thaat Kalyan () is one of the ten basic thaats of Hindustani music from the Indian subcontinent. It is also the name of a raga (more popularly known as Yaman) within this thaat. Description Kalyan thaat consists of an important group of evening ragas ...

. This raga is named after

and is loved by

Lord Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of ...

. Lord Krishna played this raga on his flute and everyone in

Gokul Gokul is a town in the Mathura district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Mathura. According to Bhagavata Purana, Krishna spent his childhood in Gokul. Geography The town has an average elevation of . Demo ...

was mesmerized.

Technical description

The raga is of ''shaadava-sampurna'' nature, i.e., in its

arohana Arohana, Arohanam or Aroha, in the context of Indian classical music, is the ascending scale of notes in a raga.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, ''Glossary'' pages, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications The pitch increases as we ...

(ascent), only six notes are used, and in

avarohana An Avarohana, Avarohanam or Avaroha, in the context of Indian classical music, is the descending scale of any raga.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, ''Glossary'' pages, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications The notes descend in pitch ...

(descent), all seven notes are used. In general, the progression of the raga is highly non-linear, which makes it difficult to capture its essence using ''arohana'' and ''avarohana''. The raga uses only natural (''shuddha'') versions of the Second (R), Third (G) and Sixth (D), both natural and sharp (') versions of the Fourth (m and M, respectively "( m- , M- )" and predominantly natural versions of the Seventh (N) but occasionally also its flat (') version (n).

Arohana Arohana, Arohanam or Aroha, in the context of Indian classical music, is the ascending scale of notes in a raga.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, ''Glossary'' pages, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications The pitch increases as we ...

: S M, M'P D M , D N S`

Avarohana An Avarohana, Avarohanam or Avaroha, in the context of Indian classical music, is the descending scale of any raga.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, ''Glossary'' pages, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications The notes descend in pitch ...

: S' N D P, m P D P M~ , S R S

Pakad In Hindustani music, a ''pakad'' (Hindi: पकड़) is a generally accepted musical phrase (or set of phrases) thought to encapsulate the essence of a particular raga. The pakad contains the melodic theme of the raga, on listening to the paka ...

: S M, M P, m P m P, D P M, R S The notes of the raga are s r g m (m is ) p d n s. The most prominent ( vadi) note is m, and the second most prominent (

samvadi The Samavadi is the second-most prominent (though not necessarily second-most played) note of a raga in Indian classical music. The primary note of the raga is the ''Vadi (Hindustani classical music), vadi''; the vadi and samvadi are in most cases ...

) is S.

Samay

The raga is to be sung at night. It is sung in the first ''

prahar Prahar or Prahara is a Sanskrit term for a unit of time, or subdivision of the day, approximately three hours long. Definition The day is divided into eight parts: four ''prahara''s for the day, and four for the night. The first ''prahara'' of t ...

'' of night. Most ragas with ' ma (M) are sung at night (as per the time theory of ragas).

Further information

The

meend In Hindustani music, meend (Hindi: मीण्ड, ur, ) refers to a glide from one note to another. It is an essential performance practice, and is used often in vocal and instrumental music. On the veena, sitar, sarangi and other plucked str ...

from D to M via P is the heart of the raga. This phrase is repeated again and again. The G is used as a

grace note A grace note is a kind of music notation denoting several kinds of musical ornaments. It is usually printed smaller to indicate that it is melodically and harmonically nonessential. When occurring by itself, a single grace note indicates eith ...

in the transition from m to P. The movements in the raga from one ' to another are complicated, and the extent of use of the different ' often depends on the singer. Kedar is one of five ragas that form the Kalyan Panchak or Panchya with

Hameer Hameer is a nocturnal Hindustani classical nominally placed in Kalyan . All the ( (natural notes) along with ( are used in it. Generally, its (the most used, principal note of a raga on which a pause may be taken) is and the (the second-most ...

Gaud Sarang Gaud Sarang is a raga in Hindustani classical music that combines characteristics of Sarang and the now extinct raga named Gaud. Unlike most other members of the Sarang family of ragas, Gaud Sarang is assigned to the Kalyan thaat rather than ...

, Kamod, Chhayanat and Kedar. Kedar is an ancient raga, with different genres of classical songs, like khayals,

thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...

dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music, Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampraday and also related to the South Ind ...

s, as well as light classical songs based on it. According to the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

, raga Kedara (ਕੇਦਾਰਾ) expresses and makes the mind aware of the soul's true character. It conveys the emotions of honesty, integrity and truthfulness in a practical and caring way. This approach is memorable, so that the mind is made aware, without arousing cynicism.

Variants

* Adambari Kedar * Anandi Kedar * Basanti Kedar * Chandni Kedar * Deepak Kedar * Jaladhar Kedar * Kedar Bahar * Kedari Malhar * Maluha Kedar * Nat Kedar * Shuddha Kedar * Shyam Kedar * Tilak Kedar

Film songs

Tamil

Hindi

Following are the films that used material from raga Kedar: * -

Mughal-e-Azam ''Mughal-e-Azam'' () is a 1960 Indian epic historical drama film produced and directed by K. Asif. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim (who went ...

(1960)-

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

* -

Sawan Ko Aane Do ''Sawan Ko Aane Do'' (English: ''Let the Monsoon arrive'') is a 1979 Rajshri Productions Hindi movie produced by Tarachand Barjatya and directed by Kanak Mishra. The film was noted for its enchanting songs and charismatic performance by Arun Gov ...

(1979)-

Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian Music and also as a ...

* (1957) –

Hemant Kumar Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...

Manna Dey Prabodh Chandra Dey (May 1, 1919 − October 24, 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an internationally acclaimed and celebrated Indian playback singer, music director, and a musician. As a classical vocalist, he belonged to the Bhen ...

, Sudha Malhotra, Chorus * - Guddi (1971) –

Vani Jairam Vani Jairam (born as Kalaivani on 30 November 1945), also credited as Vani Jayaram, is an Indian singer. She is best known as a playback singer in South Indian cinema. Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She has do ...