Ahir Bhairav is a Hindustani classical raga. It is a mixture of Bhairav and the ancient, rare raga Ahiri or Abhiri,^[1] or perhaps a mixture of Bhairav and Kafi.^[2]

Important traditional Compositions

Some of the most important traditional compositions in Raag Ahir Bhairav are:

1. Man Rangeele (Teental 32BPM Vilambit)
2. Shankara Mhaarare (180BPM Drut); popularised by Nagaraja Rao Havaldar
3. Mohe Chedo Na Giridhaari (170 BPM Drut); popularised by Parveen Sultana

Arohana: S Ṟ G M P D Ṉ Ṡ^[a]

Avarohana: Ṡ Ṉ D P M G Ṟ S^[b]

Key:

S, G, M, P, D: shuddha (natural);

r, n : komal (flat);

Pa and Sa are sometimes avoided in ascending Arohan. The descent can be direct, but is often expressed as S' N d P m, G m ^Gr ~ S with a slight oscillation on komal re to express the character of Bhairav.^[1]

Vadi: M

Samavadi: S

S, r G M, G M r, ṇ Ḍ, ṇ r S

| komal Ni, shuddha Dha, komal Ni, komal Re, Sa | is the most characteristic run, where the Ni and Dha belong to the lower octave and the Re and Sa are from the middle octave. Some andolan/oscillation is typically at the flattened second (komal re).

It may include impressions of Kafi. The image of Ahir Bhairav is easily maintained with the characteristic passage ṇ Ḍ ṇ/r~ S^[1] with the characteristic Bhairav andolan (oscillation) on komal re. Sometimes shuddha ni is used in the lower octave to emphasize the Bhairav character.^[3]

The Carnatic music equivalent to this raga is Chakravakam.

Related ragas:

• Bhairav
• Nat Bhairav

Thaat: Bhairav

Ahir Bhairav is a typical uttarang raga, which means emphasis is on the upper tetrachord.

It is usually sung as the first Prahr of the morning, around 6:00 am – 9:00 am.

Ravi Shankar, Three Classical Ragas. HMV LP, 1957. and Angel Records CD, 2000.

Hariprasad Chaurasia, Raga Ahir Bhairav and Marriage Song from Uttar Pradesh. Nimbus Records CD, 1987.

Nikhil Banerjee, Raga Ahir Bhairav. Multitone Records, UK Limited, 1995. LP. (Available on iTunes.)

Wasif-ud-din Dagar, Chalo sakhi braj raje. Alap and Composition in Dhamar. Music Today. A97015. Cassette.^[4]

• "Man Anand Anand Chayo" (film: Vijeta)
• "Meri Veena Tum Bin Roye"
• "Ullathil Nalla Ullam" from "Karnan"
• "Puuchho Naa Kaise Maine Rain Bitaaii" Shiv Dayal Batish and Manna Dey. Composer S.D. Burman
• "Waqt Karataa Jo Wafaa Aap Hamaare Hote"
• "Ram Teri Ganga Maili Ho Gayee (Title Track)" (film: Ram Teri Ganga Maili)
• "Ab Tere Bin Jee Le.nge Ham" (film: Aashiqui)
• "Solah Baras Kii Baalii Umr Ko Salaam"
• "Albelaa Sajan Aayo Re" (film: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Bajirao Mastani)
• "Aur Ho" (film: Rockstar)

Chakravakam, the 16th Melakarta raga of Carnatic music, which is a sampurna scale (all seven notes in ascending and descending scale), closely resembles Ahir Bhairav.^[5] However, in the modern times Ahir Bhairav raga has been used in a few Carnatic music compositions and many South Indian film songs as well.

(most) entries due to:

• Bagchee, Sandeep (1999), NĀD Understanding Raga Music, Mumbai: Eshwar, ISBN 81-86982-08-6
• Bhatkhande, Vishnu Nayaran (1968–73), Hindusthānī Sangīta Paddhaati: Kramika Pustaka Mālikā (6 vols.), vol. 5, Hathras: Sangeet Karyalaya, pp. 346–351
• Bhatkhande, Vishnu Nayaran (1968–75), Hindusthānī Sangīta Paddhaati: Sangīta Śāstra (4 vols), vol. 2, Hathras: Sangeet Karyalaya, pp. 359–376
• Bhatt, Balvantray; Bhaṭṭa, Balavantarāya Gulābarāya (1964–1982), Bhāvaranga Lahāri, vol. 2, Varanasi: Vitaraka Motīlāla Banārasīdāsa, pp. 53–61, OCLC 12918179
• Gandharva, Kumar (1965), Anūpa rāga vilāsa, Bombay: Mauj Prakashan, pp. 4–5
• Jha, Ramashraya (1968–78), Ābhinava Gītānjali (2 vols), vol. 1, Allahabad: Sangeet Sadan Prakashan, pp. 299–319
• Kaufmann, Walter (1984), The ragas of North India, Calcutta, New Dheli, Bombay: Da Capo Press, ISBN 0-306-76169-6, OCLC 8220451
• Khan, Raja Nawab Ali; Khāṃ, Navāba Alī (1952), Māriphunnagamāta, vol. 1, Hathras: Saṃgīta Kāryālaya, pp. 216–217, OCLC 69396515
• Khan, Raja Nawab Ali; Khāṃ, Navāba Alī (1952), Māriphunnagamāta, vol. 2, Hathras: Saṃgīta Kāryālaya, pp. 95–97, OCLC 69396515
• Moutal, Patrick (1991), Hindustāni Rāgas Index, New Dheli: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd, ISBN 81-215-0525-7
• Patki, J.D (1971–75), Aprakāśita Rāga, vol. 3, Hathras: Saṅgīta Kāryālaya, pp. 85–90, OCLC 313609634
• Patwaradan, Narayan Rao (1972), Tarala Prabandhāvalī, Rajasthan: Vanasthali Vidyapith, p. 4
• Patwaradan, Vinayak Rao; Paṭavardhana, Vināyaka Nārāyaṇa (1962–1971), Raga Vijñāna (7 vols), vol. 5, Poona: Madhusūdana Vināyaka Paṭavardhana, pp. 193–198, OCLC 69221634
• Phulambrikar, Krishnarao, Rāga Sangraha (7 vols), vol. 6, Poona, pp. 1–4
• Ratanjankar, S.N. (1962), Abhinava Gīta Manjarī, vol. 2a, Bombay: Pŏpyulara Prakāśana, pp. 144–148, OCLC 63027697
• Srivastava, Jaisuklai (1969), Malhāra Ke Prakāra, vol. 4, Bombay: Jaisuklal Shah, pp. 19–22
• Vaze, Ramkrishna Narahar (1938), Sangīta Kala Prakāśa, vol. 1, Poona: Ramkrishna Sangeet Vidyalaya, pp. 79–80, OCLC 47893854
• Rao, Suvarnalata; Wim, van der Meer; Jane, Harvey (1999), Bor, Joep (ed.), The Raga Guide: A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas, London: Zenith Media, archived from the original on 2003-12-03

• SRA on Samay and Ragas
• SRA on Ragas and Thaats
• Film Songs in Ahir Bhairav
• More details about raag AhirBhairav