Malahari

Malahari is a Carnatic raga. This raaga is a janya of the 15th Melakarta raga Mayamalavagowla. This raga is known to be a morning raga which brings out a sense of calmness.^[1] It is associated with the rainy season.^[2]

In classical carnatic training, it is often used as a raaga for beginners using geetha right after the swara-based exercises in Mayamalavagowla. Many of the Geethas in this raga have been composed by Purandara Dasa and Muthuswami Dikshitar.

This raga is an asymmetric scale and is classified as an audava-shadava raga (five notes in the ascending scale and six notes in the descending scale).^[1][2]

• ārohaṇa: S R₁ M₁ P D₁ Ṡ^[a]
• avarohaṇa: Ṡ D₁ P M₁ G₃ R₁ S^[b]

The notes in this scale are shuddha rishabha, shuddha madhyama, shuddha dhaivata in arohana and additional antara gandhara in avarohana. Since this scale does not have a nishadha, it can be derived from Gayakapriya (13th melakarta) or Vakulabharanam (14th) too, but has been traditionally associated with Mayamalavagowla (15th) as the parent.

• Shri Gananaatha in Rupaka, written by Purandara Dasa
• Kundha Gowra Gowrivara in Rupaka, written by Purandara Dasa
• Padumanaabha Paramapurusha in Triputa, written by Purandara Dasa
• Keraya Neeranu Kerege Challi in Triputa, written by Purandara Dasa

• Vigneshwaram Bhajare in Adi tala and Pancha Matanga Mukha in Rupaka Tala composed by Muthuswami Dikshitar
• Evvarevvarivaado by Annamacharya
• Shri Mahaganapathe in Rupaka Tala composed by Muthiah Bhagavatar
• Dasasreshtam by T. N. Seshagopalan in Rupaka Tala in praise of Shri Purandara Dasa
• Sharanambitade in Adi tala by Annamacharya
• Vara Siddhi Vinayaka, a Varnam in Adi tala by Dr. Sripada Pinakapani
• Shri Raghupungava in Rupaka Tala by Gopikrishnan AJ

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāga.

• Karnataka Shuddha Saveri is a rāga which has a symmetrical scale matching the ascending scale of Malahari (gandhara is entirely omitted). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R1 M1 P D1 S : S D1 P M1 R1 S