Hindustani music · Raga

What Is Raga Bhupali in Hindustani Music?

Bhupali is an evening raga of Kalyan thaat that uses only five swaras. They are Sa, Re, Ga, Pa and Dha, and all are shuddha (natural). Ma and Ni are left out. Its most important swara (vadi) is Ga, and its second (samvadi) is Dha.

The five swaras of Bhupali and the weight on Ga

Bhupali is an audav raga, which means that it uses five swaras. The same five appear in the aroha (rising line) and the avaroha (falling line). With Sa on C, the swaras are C, D, E, G and A. These pitches form the major pentatonic scale of Western music.

Ga is the vadi and carries the most weight. Dha is the samvadi. The Bhatkhande texts describe Dha as important but less frequent than Ga. Most phrases come to rest on Ga or fall to Sa through Re.

Where Bhupali phrases move

Bhupali phrases move mostly in the purvanga, which is the lower half of the octave from Sa to Pa. The descent G R S, with a clear and steady Re, closes many of its lines. A rising line often starts on mandra Dha (Dha in the lower octave) and climbs through Sa and Re to Ga.

Phrases in the upper half, such as P D S' and S' D P, usually lead back down to Ga. The line S' D P G R S passes through every swara of the raga in descending order.

How Bhupali differs from Deshkar

Deshkar uses the same five swaras. In the Bhatkhande system it belongs to Bilawal thaat and is sung in the morning. Dha is its vadi, so its phrases gather in the upper half around Pa, Dha and taar Sa (upper Sa).

The treatment of Re is the most reliable test. Bhupali gives Re its full length in G R S. Deshkar touches Re briefly or passes over it, as in D P G, R S. A phrase that dwells on Ga and Re points to Bhupali. A phrase that dwells on Dha and Pa points to Deshkar.

Time of Bhupali and common errors

Most musicians sing Bhupali in the first part of the night. A few older treatises place it in the morning. The Bhatkhande system follows the majority view and uses the evening time to separate it from Deshkar.

Singers who think in a major scale may add Ma or Ni to Bhupali by mistake. Neither swara belongs to Bhupali. Without Ma and Ni, its five swaras fit Bilawal thaat as well as Kalyan thaat. The Bhatkhande system places Bhupali in Kalyan and Deshkar in Bilawal.

Parichay

Thaat: Kalyan
Vadi: Ga
Samvadi: Dha
Time: Evening
Summary: Ma and Ni are left out. It is an evening raga.

Notes (swaras)

Sa Re Ga Pa Dha

Sa, Re, Ga, Pa, Dha.

Aaroh and avroh in sargam

Aaroh (aroha): Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ṡa
Avroh (avaroha): Ṡa Dha Pa Ga Re Sa

Pakad

A phrase Bhupali is known by:

Ga Re Sa Ḍha Sa Re Ga, Pa Ga Dha Pa Ga Re Sa

In Bhatkhande notation a line below marks a komal swara and a short vertical line above marks tivra Ma. A dot below marks the lower octave and a dot above marks the upper octave.

How it sounds

This scene plays a Bhupali model and a Deshkar model over the drone. In the Bhupali phrases, listen for the long notes on Ga. Hear Bhupali beside Deshkar in the Raga grammar course

Both ragas use the descent G R S in this scene. Bhupali gives Re a clear sound of its own. Deshkar gives it only a short touch. Compare the descent G R S in the Raga grammar course

How it looks

Feature	Bhupali	Deshkar
Thaat	Kalyan	Bilawal
Swaras	S R G P D	S R G P D
Vadi	Ga	Dha
Main register	Lower half (purvanga)	Upper half (uttaranga)
Treatment of Re	Clear, as in G R S	Brief, as in D P G, R S
Time	Evening	Morning

Bhupali and Deshkar share five swaras. They differ in thaat, vadi, register and the treatment of Re.

In exams and courses

Bhupali is on the Gandharva Prarambhik and Praveshika Pratham raga lists. Praveshika Poorna adds a bada khayal or masitkhani gat in it, and Madhyama Pratham studies it with vilambit and drut compositions. The CBSE Class 10 vocal and melodic syllabi prescribe Bhupali with Khamaj and Brindavani Sarang.

Practice tests on this site with questions on this term:

Practice it

Ear Training. With Bhupali chosen at the Ragas level, identify each of its five swaras over the tanpura.
Hindustani raga grammar course. Compare Bhupali and Deshkar phrases and decide which raga each new phrase belongs to.
CBSE Class 10 Hindustani Vocal practice test. Answer the questions on Bhupali, Khamaj and Brindavani Sarang that the Class 10 paper sets.
Gandharva Madhyama Pratham practice test. Answer theory questions from the level that adds vilambit and drut compositions in Bhupali.

Flashcard

What is bhupali?

Related terms

Raga: A melodic framework of Indian classical music. It is defined by its notes, characteristic phrases, emphasized tones and mood.
Thaat: A parent scale of seven swaras used to classify Hindustani ragas. The Bhatkhande system uses ten thaats.
Yaman: An evening raga of Kalyan thaat. It uses tivra Ma with the other swaras shuddha. Its vadi is Ga and its samvadi is Ni.
Pentatonic scale: A family of five-note scales used in many traditions. Its members have many distinct interval patterns.
Swara: A note of Indian music. The seven shuddha swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.
Tanpura: A long-necked plucked instrument that sounds a steady drone of Sa and Pa in Indian classical music.

Sources

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