What Is Raga Khamaj in Hindustani Music?

Khamaj thaat and the raga that shares its name

Khamaj thaat is the parent scale with a single altered swara, komal Ni. With Sa on C, it reads C, D, E, F, G, A and B flat. This matches the Mixolydian mode of Western music.

The raga has the same name as the thaat and adds shuddha Ni in rising phrases. Desh and Tilak Kamod also belong to Khamaj thaat. The thaat groups these ragas by scale. It cannot identify any one of them.

The aroha and avaroha of Khamaj

The Bhatkhande aroha (rising line) is S, G M, P, D N S'. Re is left out on the way up. The avaroha (falling line) S' N_ D P, M G, R S uses all seven swaras.

The aroha has six swaras and the avaroha has seven, so the jati (class) is shadav-sampurna. Shadav means six swaras, and sampurna means seven. Ga carries the most weight and Ni is the samvadi. Dha is light in the aroha, and Pa often takes a winding path in the descent. A widely taught pakad (identifying phrase) is N_ D, M P D, M G.

Time and use of Khamaj

Khamaj belongs to the second prahar (three-hour period) of the night. It is heard most often in thumri, tappa and ghazal. It also appears in dhrupad and khayal compositions.

How Khamaj differs from Desh

Desh shares the thaat and also uses both forms of Ni. Desh rises S R M P N S' and leaves out Ga and Dha. Khamaj rises S G M P D N S' and leaves out Re.

The weight differs as well. Desh centers on Re and Pa, and Khamaj centers on Ga. A rising phrase that starts from Sa and leaps to Ga points to Khamaj.

In a fast rising passage toward taar Sa (upper Sa), singers sometimes take komal Ni by mistake. In Khamaj a rising Ni is shuddha. Komal Ni appears as the line turns down.