Ragamala paintings are a form of Indian miniature painting, a set of illustrative paintings of the ''Ragamala'' or "Garland of Ragas", depicting variations of the Indian musical modes called

ragas 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 ...

. They stand as a classical example of the amalgamation of art, poetry and classical music in medieval India. Ragamala paintings were created in most schools of Indian painting, starting in the 16th and 17th centuries, and are today named accordingly as Pahari Ragamala, Rajasthan or Rajput Ragamala, Deccan Ragamala, and Mughal Ragamala. Also it originated in Rajasthan. 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 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 ...

, but also their wives, (''raginis''), their numerous sons (''ragaputra'') and daughters (''ragaputri''). The 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.

History

Sangita Ratnakara The ''Sangita-Ratnakara'', सङ्गीतरत्नाकर, (IAST: Saṅgīta ratnākara), literally "Ocean of Music and Dance", is one of the most important musicological texts from India. Composed by Śārṅgadeva (शार्ङ� ...

'' is an important 12th century CE treatise on the classification of Indian Ragas, which for the first time mentions the presiding deity of each raga. From the 14th century onwards, they were described in short verses in Sanskrit, for

dhyana Dhyana may refer to: Meditative practices in Indian religions * Dhyana in Buddhism (Pāli: ''jhāna'') * Dhyana in Hinduism * Jain Dhyāna, see Jain meditation Other *''Dhyana'', a work by British composer John Tavener (1944-2013) * ''Dhyana'' ...

, 'contemplation', and later depicted in a series of paintings, called the Ragamala paintings. Some of the best available works of Ragamala are from the 16th and 17th centuries, when the form flourished under royal patronage, though by the 19th century, it gradually faded.

Extant works

In 1570, Kshemakarna, a priest of

Rewa Rewa may refer to: Places Fiji * Rewa (Fijian Communal Constituency, Fiji), a former electoral division of Fiji * Rewa Plateau, between the Kaimur and Vindhya Ranges in Madhya Pradesh * Rewa Province, Fiji * Rewa River, the widest river in Fiji ...

in Central India, compiled a poetic text on the Ragamala in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, which describes six principal Ragas—Bhairava, Malakoshika, Hindola, Deepak, 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 Most of the extant works of Ragamala are from Deccan style, where

Ibrahim Adil Shah II Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1570 – 12 September 1627) was king of the Sultanate of Bijapur and a member of the Adil Shahi dynasty. Under his reign the dynasty had its greatest period as he extended its frontier as far south as Mysore. He was ...

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 'Chawand' (a part of Mewar) school of painting, Sahibdin, whose Ragamala (musical modes) series dated 1628, are now in

National Museum of India The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions under ...

Ragamala sets discovered in Odisha are in the

Pattachitra Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh. Patachitra artform is known for its intricate details as well as mytho ...

style, based on the ragas of

Odissi music music () is a genre of classical music in India, originated from the eastern state of Odisha. The traditional ritual music for the service of Lord Jagannatha, Odissi music has a history spanning over two thousand years, authentic ''sangita-shas ...

and show distinct iconography and raga groups from other regions.

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 Bhairavi ( sa, भैरवी) is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava. Etymology The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terror" or "awe-inspiring". She is th ...

, Bilawali, Punyaki, Bangli, Aslekhi. Sons: Pancham, Harakh, Disakh, Bangal, Madhu, Madhava, Lalit, Bilaval. *(2) Parent Raga: Malkaus raga Wives: Gaundkari,

Devagandhari Devagandhari (pronounced devagāndhāri) is a raga (musical scale) in Indian classical music. In carnatic classical music, Devagandhari is a ''janya'' raga (derived scale), whose ''melakarta'' raga (parent scale, also known as ''janaka'') is '' ...

, Gandhari, Seehute,

Dhanasri Dhanasri () is a rāga belonging to the tradition of Odissi music. Falling under the ''meḷa'' of the same name, the raga uses ''komala gandhara'' and ''komala nisada'' swaras and is traditionally associated with the ''karuṇa rasa.'' The raga i ...

. 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 Todi () is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) of the province of Perugia (region of Umbria) in central Italy. It is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the river Tiber, commanding distant views in every direction. I ...

, Kamodi, Gujri. Sons: Kaalanka, Kuntal, Rama, Kamal, Kusum, Champak, Gaura, Kanra 6 *(5) Parent Raga: Sri raga Wives: Bairavi, Karnati, Gauri,

Asavari Raga Asavari () is a Hindustani classical raga. It belongs to the Asavari thaat and is performed in the morning hours. In pre- Bhatkhande days this Asavari used the Komal Rishab instead of Shuddh Rishab. When Bhatkhandeji created the thaat pr ...

, Sindhavi. Sons: Salu, Sarag, Sagra, Gaund, Gambhir, Gund, Kumbh, Hamir. *(6) Parent Raga: Megh raga Wives: Sorath, Gaundi-Malari,

Asa ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ar ...

, Gunguni, Sooho. Sons: Biradhar, Gajdhar, Kedara, Jablidhar, Nut, Jaldhara, Sankar, Syama.

Gallery

File:Bhairavi Ragini.jpg, Bhairavi Ragini. Possibly Mewar, c. 1550.

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

File:Gauri Ragini, First Wife of Malkos Raga, Folio from a Ragamala, 1575-1600, LACMA.jpg, '' Gauri Ragini''. Probably

Ahmadnagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1 ...

, c. 1575-1600.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...

File:1 Shaykh Husayn. Malkausik Raga Page from the Chunar Ragamala Manuscript, dated February 24, 1591, Metmuseum.jpg, '' Malkausik Raga'', folio from the Chunar Ragamala, dated February 24, 1591. Private collection, New York File:Sahibdin 001.jpg, ''Dipak Raga'', folio from the Chawand Ragamala by Nasiruddin. Mewar, 1605. G.K. Kanoria Collection File:Indischer Maler um 1625 001.jpg, ''Ragini Bhairavi''.

Bundi Bundi is a city in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India and capital of the former princely state of Rajputana agency. District of Bundi is named after the former princely state. Demographics According to the 2011 Indian cens ...

, c. 1625.

Allahabad Museum The Allahabad Museum is a national-level museum in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Established in 1931, it is known for its rich collection and unique objects of art, and is funded by Ministry of Culture. Moreover, it is a premier research centre for ...

File:Nisaradi 001.jpg, ''Lalit Ragini'', folio from the Ragamala painted by Sahibdin. Mewar, 1628.

National Museum, New Delhi The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions under t ...

File:Indischer Maler um 1650 (III) 001.jpg, ''Hindola Raga''.

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

, c. 1650.

Bharat Kala Bhavan Bharat Kala Bhavan is a university museum located in Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. It has been instrumental in the dissemination of knowledge on Indian art and culture. It is one of the important touristic attractions in the Banara ...

File:MET DP153180.jpg, ''Kedar Ragini'', by Ruknuddin.

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital of ...

, c. 1690-1695.

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

File:MET DP153192.jpg, ''Vasanti Ragini''. Bilaspur, c. 1710. Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Raga Madhava, Folio from the Ragamala series.jpg, ''Raga Madhava'', by the 2nd Master of the Shangri Ramayana series. Probably Bahu, c. 1720. Rietberg Museum File:Ragini Madhumadhavi - Girl flees from a storm.jpg, ''Ragini Madhumadhavi'', by Jay Krishna.

Malpura Malpura is a town with municipality in Tonk district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Malpura is known for its Dadabadi, built by the Khartargach Sect of Shewtambar Jain in memory of 3rd Dada Gurudev Shri Jinkushalsurishwarji.Malpura is popular ...

, c. 1756. Rietberg Museum File:The Musical Mode - Ragini Todi.jpg, '' Ragini Todi''. Ascribed to a Master of the Second Generation after

Nainsukh Nainsukh (literally "Joy of the Eyes"; c. 1710 – 1778) was an Indian painter. He was the younger son of the painter Pandit Seu and, like his older brother Manaku of Guler, was an important practitioner of Pahari painting, and has been c ...

, c. 1825-30.

Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, is a premier museum of North India having collections of Gandharan sculptures, sculptures from ancient and medieval India, Pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings. It owes its existence to the ...

File:Two lovers, folio from a Ragamala album.jpg, ''Two lovers'' (possibly Kodaba Raga). Pigment on cloth, in the technique closely resembling that used in

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

n pattachitras. Odisha, circa 1850. Private collection

References

External links