"Malhar" is a

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

. Malhar is associated with torrential rains. Besides the basic Shuddha Malhar, which was the original Malhar, several Malhar-related ragas use the Malhar signature phrase m (m)R (m)R P, including "Miyan ki Malhar", "

Megh Malhar Megh Malhar is a Hindustani classical raga. The name derives from the Sanskrit word ''Megh'', meaning ''cloud''. Legends say that this raga has the power to bring out rains in the area where it is sung. Megh Malhar is similar to raga Megh with ...

", "Ramdasi Malhar", " Gaud Malhar", "Sur Malhar", "Shuddha Malhar", "Desh Malhar", "Nat Malhar", "Dhulia Malhar", and "Meera ki Malhar". This phrase, although it might seem similar and equivalent, is different from the swara phraseology employed in Raga "

Brindavani Sarang Brindavani Sarang or Brindabani Sarang, also known as raga Sarang, is a Hindustani classical raga. It is also called Vridavani Sarang. This raga falls under the category of Sarang ragas. Theory Brindabani Sarang is a Kafi thaat raga. It wa ...

". It can be determined that raga Malhar or rather Miyan ki Malhar is a mixture of ragas "

", raga "

Kafi Kafi ( pa, ਕਾਫ਼ੀ (Gurmukhi), (Shahmukhi), Hindi: काफ़ी, Urdu: کافی, Sindhi:ڪافي) is a classical form of Sufi music mostly in the Siraiki, Punjabi and Sindhi languages and originating from the Punjab, and Sindh ...

" and raga " Durga".This raga has a ''Vakra'' form (meaning that the swaras of a raga are not completely arranged in a particularly straightforward manner), and is classified as a Ghambir Prakruti raga (meaning that it is played slow with patience, and it is played in a serious tone/note).

Legend

According to legend, Malhar is so powerful that when sung, it can induce rainfall. Many written accounts describe the Raga Malhar. Tansen, Baiju Bawra, Baba Ramdas, Nayak Charju, Miyan Bakhshu, Tanta rang, Tantras Khan,

Bilas Khan Bilaskhani Todi is a Hindustani classical raga. It is a blend of the ragas Asavari and Todi, and has a close affinity with Komal Rishabh Asavari. Theory The Hindustani classical raga Bilaskhani Todi is an example of the flaws of the Bhatkhand ...

(son of Tansen), Hammer Sen, Surat Sen, and Meera Bai are some of those said to be capable of starting rains using various kinds of Raga Malhar.

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

once asked his court musician Miyan Tansen to sing "Raga Deepak", the raga of Light/Fire, which caused all the lamps in the courtyard to light up and Tansen's body to become so hot that he had to sit in the nearby river to cool himself. However, the river began to boil, and it became apparent that Tansen would soon boil to death. So he set out to find someone who could sing Raga Malhar to cure him. In due course, he reached Vadnagar, a town in Gujarat. There he came across two sisters named Tana and Riri, whom he asked for help, to which they agreed. The moment they started singing the Raga Malhar, rains came down in torrents, which helped cool Tansen's body. The many variations of Raga Malhar have been categorised chronologically by era – ''prachina'' (before the 15th century), ''madhyakalina'' (15th – 18th century) and ''arvachina'' (19th century and beyond). Ragas Shuddha Malhar, Megh Malhar and Gaud Malhar belong to the first period. "Miyan Ki Malhar", also known as Gayand Malahar as both nishads (shudh and komal) swing around the dhaivat like a (gayand) elephant swinging his head.

Prominent Bandishes composed in Raga Malhar

In popular culture

In Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Bengali language novel '' Anandamath'' (1882), a band of yogis sing '' Vande mataram'' in Raga Desh.Raga
. Centre of South Asian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. In

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...

's film ''Jalsaghar'', Raga Malhar is used to link the powers of nature and the hero's internal conflict. The song ''Thumbi Thullal'' from the movie '' Cobra'' is based on this raag. It is composed by

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...

and sung by Shreya Ghoshal &

Nakul Abhyankar Nakul Abhyankar (born 25 May 1990) is an Indian playback singer, music composer and sound engineer. He has sung in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Tulu. He is best known for his songs "Love You Chinna" from the film "Love Mocktail" compos ...

Historical information

There is a legend stating that Tansen's physical agony after singing Raga Deepak (Poorvi Thaat) was pacified with listening to Raga "Megh Malhar" rendered by Tana and Riri.

Film songs

Tamil

Also see

* Malhar (family of ragas)

References

{{Rāgas as per Performance Time Hindustani ragas Ragas in the Guru Granth Sahib