RagaBilawal thaatmorning

Raag Bilawal राग बिलावल

Bilawal is a morning raga of shuddha notes, on the scale most learners start with. The Bilawal most syllabi teach is Alhaiya Bilawal. It leaves out Ma going up and slips komal Ni between two Dhas coming down. Here are its notes on the harmonium, its aroha, avaroha and pakad, and a lakshan geet, each played at your Sa for you to sing back.

By SangatUpdated 29 October 2026Its lines and a lakshan geet, to play on this page

Thaat: Bilawal
Jati: Shadav–Sampurna 6 up, 7 down
Vadi: Dha
Samvadi: Ga
Sung: Morning
In Carnatic: Bilahari is the nearest.

A heroine at her window, dressing in the morning light — Alhaiya Bilawal as Sangat draws it, in the morning light. Beside it, its aroha and avaroha and its pakad: the harmonium plays each one at your Sa, then waits for you to sing it back. Choose Sing along to sing with it instead.

The notes

Alhaiya Bilawal uses all seven shuddha swaras, the notes of the plain scale. It adds one more, komal Ni, but only coming down. Going up it leaves out Ma, so six notes go up and seven come down. That makes its jati shadav–sampurna.

Aroha आरोह: Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni Ṡaसा रे ग प ध नि सां
Avaroha अवरोह: Ṡa Ni Dha Ṉi Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Saसां नि ध नि॒ ध प म ग रे सा
Pakad पकड़: Ga Re Ga Pa · Dha Ṉi Dha Pa · Ma Ga Re · Ga Pa Dha Ni Ṡaग रे ग प · ध नि॒ ध प · म ग रे · ग प ध नि सां

Textbooks add a few turns to these lines. Going up, the NCERT textbook sings Sa Ga Re Ga Pa Dha Ni Ṡa. Coming down, it and the NIOS course touch Pa before komal Ni: Ṡa Ni Dha Pa, Dha Ṉi Dha Pa, Ma Ga Ma Re Sa. Sangat plays the shorter lines above. The pakad above is tanarang.com’s; the NCERT textbook gives Ga Re Ga Pa, Ma Ga Ma Re, Ga Pa Dha Ṉi Dha Pa.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.

Bilawal thaat, Bilawal and Alhaiya Bilawal

Three things share the name Bilawal, and books use it in different ways.

Name	What it is
Bilawal thaat	The scale of the seven shuddha notes: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni. It is the major scale of Western music, and one of the ten thaats Bhatkhande sorted the ragas into. Most learners sing their first alankars in it.
Raag Bilawal	The raga named after the thaat, sometimes called Shuddh Bilawal. All its notes are shuddha, with no komal Ni. Like Alhaiya Bilawal, it is sung in the morning, with Dha as its vadi and Ga as its samvadi.
Alhaiya Bilawal	The Bilawal most often sung and taught. It adds komal Ni between two Dhas coming down, and leaves out Ma going up. Many people call it simply Bilawal.

The NCERT textbook keeps Bilawal and Alhaiya Bilawal apart as two ragas, and teaches Alhaiya Bilawal. So does this page: its lines, its keys and its bandish are Alhaiya Bilawal’s.

The plain Bilawal scale is where alankars begin. Ten alankars for beginners writes out the first ten in it, to play and sing back. In Sangat the first five alankars are free on Bilawal thaat, as on every thaat.

On the harmonium

With Sa at C♯, Alhaiya Bilawal is C♯, D♯, F, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C, with B for komal Ni. With Sa at G♯ it is G♯, A♯, C, C♯, D♯, F and G, with F♯ for komal Ni. With Sa at C, the plain Bilawal scale is the seven white keys. Set your Sa above and the keyboard lights the raga’s keys from there; tap a key to hear it.

Alhaiya Bilawal 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
Re रे	Re	D♯ kali do	A♯ kali paanch
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
Dha ध	Dha	A♯ kali paanch	F safed chaar
Ṉi नि॒	Komal Ni	B safed saat	F♯ kali teen
Ni नि	Ni	C safed ek	G safed paanch

Alhaiya Bilawal’s notes from mandra Pa to taar Sa, at your Sa, komal Ni among them. The table gives the keys for the two most common Sa, with their harmonium names.

How it moves

A raga is more than its scale. These are the moves that make Alhaiya Bilawal sound like itself.

Ga Pa, not Ga Ma PaGoing up, step over Ma: Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni Ṡa. Ma comes in turns instead, as in Ga Ma Re Ga Pa.
Dha Ṉi Dha PaKomal Ni comes only on the way down, and only between two Dhas. Everywhere else, Ni is shuddha.
Ma Ga Ma Re SaComing down, Ma often turns back once before Re: Ma Ga Ma Re Sa.
Dha and Ga togetherDha is the vadi and Ga the samvadi, and phrases join the two, often with a glide (meend): Dha Ga Ma Ga Re Sa. The harmonium plays the notes in between.
Rest on Pa and GaDha is its most important note, but phrases do not stop on it. They come to rest on Pa and Ga.
Mostly in the upper halfIt moves mostly from Ma up to taar Ṡa, and above it.

Ragas near Bilawal

Many ragas belong to Bilawal thaat. These are the ones closest to Alhaiya Bilawal, or most often mixed up with it.

Raga	How it differs
Bilawal	All shuddha notes, with no komal Ni. Add the turn Dha Ṉi Dha Pa and it becomes Alhaiya Bilawal.
Deshkar	A morning raga of Bilawal thaat too, with the same pull between Dha and Ga. But it leaves out Ma and Ni altogether: the five notes of Bhupali, with Dha strong and Pa its resting note.
Shankara	Bilawal thaat, but a night raga, sung from 9 pm to midnight. It leaves out Re and Ma going up and Ma coming down, and leans on Ga and Ni.
Yaman	The same seven notes with tivra Ma in place of shuddha Ma, so Kalyan thaat, not Bilawal. It is sung in the early night.

Paltas and alankars

Paltas walk a raga’s own line in small groups. Sangat has three in Alhaiya Bilawal: pairs, triplets and fours, each with komal Ni between two Dhas coming down. It has five more in Bilawal, from pairs to wide triplets. They come with Sangat Pro: open Alhaiya Bilawal or Bilawal in the app.

Alankars need no raga, only the plain scale. The first five alankars on Bilawal thaat are free in Sangat, and the alankars guide plays ten of them here.

A first bandish

Book 2 of Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika gives Bilawal three lakshan geets. A lakshan geet is a song whose words describe its own raga. The NCERT textbook prints the first, “Tab kahat bilawal bhed”, in Teentaal. Its words give the raga’s rules: shuddha notes, the first prahar of the morning, Dha the vadi and Ga the samvadi.

Tab kahat bilawal bhed तब कहत बिलावल भेदAlhaiya Bilawal · Teentaal · madhya laya · 80 BPM

Sthayi

7Ṡta8Ṡba0Dka10Pha11mta12Gbi3Plaa14–ऽ15Nva16Nla×Ṡbhe2–ऽ3Ṡda4Ṡcha2Ntu6Nra7Pja8Pba

0DNmeऽ10ṠṘऽऽ11Ṡla12ṠNmiऽ3Dlaa14Pऽ15mva16Gta×Gshu2Rऽ3Gddha4msu2Gra6Rna7Sko8–ऽ

0Spraa10mऽ11Gta12Psa3Pmen14–ऽ15Nni16Nta×Ṡpra2Ġtha3Ṡma4Ṡpa2Nha6Nra7Ṡta8Ṡba

Antara

0Pdhai10–ऽ11Nva12Nta3Ṡbaa14–ऽ15Ṡdi16–ऽ×NṠgaaऽ2Ġऽ3Ġsa4ṁma2Ṙbaa6–ऽ7Ṡdi8–ऽ

0Ġa10ṁऽ11Ṗshta12Ġbhe3ṁऽ14Ṙda15Ṡsa16Ṡba×DNgaaऽ2ṠṘऽऽ3Ṡya4ṠNmaऽ2Ddhu6Nra7Ṡta8Ṡba

From V. N. Bhatkhande, Hindusthani Sangeet Paddhati Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 2, page 69. The scan.

Practise this lakshan geet in SangatLine by line in your Sa, and it tells you which notes you sang in sur. Alhaiya Bilawal is part of Sangat Pro.

“Tab kahat bilawal bhed” from Book 2, matra by matra: × marks sam, 0 the khali. Press play and the harmonium sings it over the tabla, lighting each matra as it goes. In the sheet, m is shuddha Ma. Book 2 also has a sargam geet in Jhaptaal, and Book 1 has one in Ektaal, sung on the swara names alone.

Common slips

Climbing Ga Ma PaA straight Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is the plain scale, not Alhaiya Bilawal. Step from Ga to Pa.
Komal Ni out of placeKeep komal Ni to its one turn coming down: Dha Ṉi Dha Pa. Going up, Ni is always shuddha.
Stopping on DhaDha is the strongest note, but let it lead on to Pa. Phrases rest on Pa and Ga.
Only the scaleBilawal is known by its turns, not only by its notes. Sing the pakad until it comes without thinking.

Songs in Bilawal

The NCERT textbook names these film songs as based on Alhaiya Bilawal. Film songs often bend the raga, but humming one is a quick way to get Bilawal in your ear.

Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai (Shor, 1972)
Saare Ke Saare (Parichay, 1972)
Tumko Dekha To Ye Khayal Aaya (Saath Saath, 1982)
Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh (3 Idiots, 2009)

Questions

What are the notes of raag Bilawal?

All seven shuddha notes: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. Alhaiya Bilawal, the Bilawal most often taught, adds komal Ni, only between two Dhas coming down. With Sa at C♯ the keys are C♯, D♯, F, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C, with B for komal Ni.

What is the aroha and avaroha of raag Bilawal?

For Alhaiya Bilawal, the aroha is Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni Ṡa, leaving out Ma. The avaroha is Ṡa Ni Dha Pa, Dha Ṉi Dha Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa, as tanarang.com writes it. Sangat plays the shorter Ṡa Ni Dha Ṉi Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa.

What is the pakad of raag Bilawal?

Ga Re Ga Pa, Dha Ṉi Dha Pa, Ma Ga Re, Ga Pa Dha Ni Ṡa, as tanarang.com gives it. The NCERT textbook gives Ga Re Ga Pa, Ma Ga Ma Re, Ga Pa Dha Ṉi Dha Pa.

What are the vadi and samvadi of raag Bilawal?

The vadi, its most important note, is Dha. The samvadi, its partner, is Ga. Phrases still come to rest on Pa and Ga, not on Dha.

When is raag Bilawal sung?

In the morning, in the first prahar of the day: about 6 to 9 am. For practice, any time you can sing is the right time.

What is the difference between Bilawal and Alhaiya Bilawal?

Bilawal, sometimes called Shuddh Bilawal, uses only shuddha notes. Alhaiya Bilawal adds komal Ni between two Dhas coming down, and leaves out Ma going up. Many people call Alhaiya Bilawal simply Bilawal, but the NCERT textbook treats them as two ragas.

Facts checked on 29 October 2026 against tanarang.com, the NCERT Class XI textbook Hindustani Sangeet: Gayan evam Vadan, the NIOS course in Hindustani Music (242) and Wikipedia. The lakshan geet is from V. N. Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 2, which is in the public domain.