Dharmavathi raaga

This raaga 'Dharmavathi' is one of my favourite raagas which has been widely used in film music by all music directors.

Discussing the technical details of this raaga, dharmavathi is the 59th melakarta raaga in the 72 melakarta raagam system of carnatic music. Madhuvanti raaga is the nearest Hindustani music scale to Dharmavati.

This raaga has all 7 notes ( sampoorna raaga) that takes chathusruthi rishabam, sadharana gandaram, prati madyamam, chathusruthi daivatham, kakali nishadam.
This raaga is the prati madyamam equivalent of the 23rd melakarta raagam, "Gaurimanohari ".

Some of the famous compositions in this raaga 'Dharmavati' are :

#1. Parandaamavati Jayathi by Muthuswami Dikshitar (includes the name of rāgam Dhaamavati in the lyrics)
#2. Ododi vandhen kanna by Ambujam Krishna

Hear the audio and enjoy the Annamacharya krithi 'mangambudhi' in raaga dharmavathi by Sudha Ragunathan.

click here

Here is a flute alapana of the raaga 'dharmavathi'




Now, coming to the usage of this raaga in film music, almost all the prominent tamil music directors from Ilayaraja to A.r.rahman have handled this raaga neatly and given many hits.

This raaga is used to depict moods ranging from romance, seduction to a confused state of mind.
Some of the film songs based on this raaga are :


#1. Vanaville Vanaville (film name : Ramana)
http://www.filefactory.com/?7d03e5





#2. Meendum Meendum vaa( film name : Vikram)
http://www.filefactory.com/?5da943


#3. Kana kanum kalangal ( film name: 7G rainbow colony)




#4. Ottagatha katikoo (film name: gentleman)




#5. illam cholai poothadha in the movie unakkagavae vazhgiraen is another Ilayaraja song based on this raaga.