RagaBhairav thaatdawn
Raag Bhairav राग भैरव
Bhairav is the great dawn raga, and it gives its name to a thaat. It uses all seven notes with Re and Dha komal (flat), and those two notes are sung with a gentle swing that gives Bhairav its serious, early-morning sound.
- Thaat
- Bhairav
- Jati
- Sampurna–Sampurna 7 up, 7 down
- Vadi
- Komal Dha
- Samvadi
- Komal Re
- Sung
- Dawn
- In Carnatic
- Mayamalavagowla
The harmonium plays a line, then waits: sing it back in the gap.
The notes
Bhairav takes all seven swaras: komal Re and komal Dha, with Ga, Ma, Pa and Ni shuddha. Seven go up and seven come down, so its jati is sampurna–sampurna. The same scale in Carnatic music is Mayamalavagowla.
- Aroha आरोह
- Sa Ṟe Ga Ma Pa Ḏha Ni Ṡaसा रे॒ ग म प ध॒ नि सां
- Avaroha अवरोह
- Ṡa Ni Ḏha Pa Ma Ga Ṟe Saसां नि ध॒ प म ग रे॒ सा
- Pakad पकड़
- Ga Ma Ḏha Ḏha Pa · Ga Ma Ṟe Ṟe Saग म ध॒ ध॒ प · ग म रे॒ रे॒ सा
Komal Re and komal Dha are Bhairav’s two most important notes: Dha is the vadi and Re the samvadi. In the pakad, Ga Ma Ḏha Ḏha Pa, Ga Ma Ṟe Ṟe Sa, each doubled note is sung as one note with an andolan, a gentle swing around its pitch. The harmonium plays the notes straight, so listen to a singer for the swing.Reading the sargamA dot below a swara puts it in the lower octave (mandra), a dot above in the upper (taar). A line under a swara marks it komal; a tick after Ma marks tivra Ma.
On the harmonium
With Sa at C♯, Bhairav is C♯, D, F, F♯, G♯, A and C. With Sa at G♯ it is G♯, A, C, C♯, D♯, E and G. Set your Sa above and the keyboard lights Bhairav’s keys from there; tap a key to hear it.
Bhairav with Sa at C♯. Tap a key to hear it.
| Swara | Name | Sa at C♯ (kali 1) | Sa at G♯ (kali 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sa सा | Sa | C♯ kali ek | G♯ kali chaar |
| Ṟe रे॒ | Komal Re | D safed do | A safed chhe |
| Ga ग | Ga | F safed chaar | C safed ek |
| Ma म | Ma | F♯ kali teen | C♯ kali ek |
| Pa प | Pa | G♯ kali chaar | D♯ kali do |
| Ḏha ध॒ | Komal Dha | A safed chhe | E safed teen |
| Ni नि | Ni | C safed ek | G safed paanch |
How it moves
These are the moves that make Bhairav sound like Bhairav.
- A swing on Ṟe and ḎhaKomal Re and komal Dha are held and gently swung (andolan), not sung dead straight. Sung straight, the same notes sound like a lighter raga, Kalingda.
- Ga Ma Ḏha Ḏha PaThe first half of the pakad: up from Ga to the swinging Dha, coming to rest on Pa.
- Ma down to ṞeComing down, Ma glides to komal Re, often passing over Ga: Ga Ma Ṟe Ṟe Sa.
- Ḏha Ni ṠaKomal Dha leans up through Ni to the upper Sa: a strong pull into the top of the raga.
- Rest on Ma, Pa and the komal notesMa is an important note to stop on, with Pa, komal Dha and komal Re.
Ragas near Bhairav
Several morning ragas share Bhairav’s lower half. These are the ones it is most often mixed up with.
| Raga | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Ahir Bhairav | Bhairav’s lower half, but shuddha Dha and komal Ni above it, and no swing on Dha. |
| Kalingda | The same seven notes, sung straight without Bhairav’s swing, with Ga and Pa prominent: lighter and brighter. |
| Ramkali | Bhairav with tivra Ma and komal Ni added in phrases like Ma′ Pa Ḏha Ṉi Ḏha Pa; the swing on Re and Dha is lighter. |
| Bhairavi | A different raga despite the name: Bhairavi takes komal Re, Ga, Dha and Ni. |
Paltas in Bhairav
Paltas walk Bhairav’s line in small groups. They are a good way to fix the place of komal Re and komal Dha, each only a semitone above Sa and Pa.
The harmonium plays a line, then waits: sing it back in the gap.
A first bandish
Bhairav is the fourth raga in Book 1 of Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika. The book gives it a sargam geet, sung on the swara names alone, and two songs, “Guru natha saban ke” and “Jago Mohan pyare”.
Sthayi
Antara
From V. N. Bhatkhande, Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 1, page 35. The scan.
Common slips
- Komal notes held straightRe and Dha sung dead straight drift toward Kalingda. Give them their swing, and come to Re from Ma.
- A shuddha Dha or a komal NiEither one pulls the raga toward Ahir Bhairav. Tivra Ma with komal Ni pulls it toward Ramkali.
Songs in Bhairav
Film songs based on Bhairav, as the NCERT textbook and other sources list them. Film songs often bend the raga, but humming one gets Bhairav in your ear.
- Jago Mohan Pyare (Jagte Raho, 1956)
- Mohe Bhool Gaye Sanwariya (Baiju Bawra, 1952)
- Man Re Hari Ke Gun Ga (Musafir, 1957)
- Hanse Tim Tim (Sanskar, 1952)
- Ik Ritu Aaye (Gautam Govinda, 1979)
Questions
What are the notes of raag Bhairav?
All seven: Sa, komal Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, komal Dha and Ni. With Sa at C♯ the keys are C♯, D, F, F♯, G♯, A and C.
What is the aroha and avaroha of raag Bhairav?
Aroha: Sa Ṟe Ga Ma Pa Ḏha Ni Ṡa. Avaroha: Ṡa Ni Ḏha Pa Ma Ga Ṟe Sa.
What is the pakad of raag Bhairav?
Ga Ma Ḏha Ḏha Pa, Ga Ma Ṟe Ṟe Sa, with a gentle swing (andolan) on komal Dha and komal Re.
What are the vadi and samvadi of raag Bhairav?
The vadi is komal Dha and the samvadi is komal Re.
When is raag Bhairav sung?
At dawn: from about 4 to 7 am in ITC Sangeet Research Academy’s time chart, and into the early morning.
What is the difference between Bhairav and Ahir Bhairav?
Ahir Bhairav keeps Bhairav’s lower half (komal Re, Ga, Ma) but takes shuddha Dha and komal Ni above it, and its Dha does not swing.
What is the difference between Bhairav and Bhairavi?
They are different ragas. Bhairav has komal Re and komal Dha with shuddha Ga and Ni; Bhairavi has komal Re, Ga, Dha and Ni.
Facts checked on 13 October 2026 against tanarang.com, Rajan Parrikar’s essays at parrikar.org, ITC Sangeet Research Academy’s time chart, the NCERT Class XI textbook Hindustani Sangeet: Gayan evam Vadan and Wikipedia. The sargam geet is from V. N. Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 1, which is in the public domain.
