Kharaharapriya is a
rāga in
Carnatic music. It is the 22nd melakartarāga (parent scale) in the 72 melakarta rāga system. It is possible that the name of the ragam was originally Harapriya but it was changed to conform to the Katapayadi formula. Kharaharapriya has a distinct melody and brings out the Karunarasam, invoking pathos in the listeners. The Kafi thaat of
Hindustani music is the equivalent of Kharaharapriya.[1][2] Its Western equivalent is the
Dorian mode.
Etymology
There are many theories behind the etymology of the name Kharaharapriya. One of the most popular beliefs is that the ragam was initially called Samaganam and when
Ravana was trapped by
Shiva, under the
kailash hill trying to lift it, it is believed that, to appease the lord,
Ravana sang many hymns in praise of the lord, but his heart cooled only when a hymn was sung in the ragam and hence the name (
hara) shiva and (priya) loved hence "Harapriya " – The one dear to Shiva, and to fit it in the
Katapayadi system according to the
melakarta chakra system.
The word Kharaharapriya may also mean the beloved of the killer of the
Khara demon (Khara – Khara demon, Hara – Defeater/Killer, Priya – Beloved). The story of Rama killing the Khara demon is narrated in the 28th, 29th and the 30th sub-chapter of the Aranya Khanda of
Ramayana.[3] It could be speculated that this was a reason why
Saint Tyagaraja revived this dying ancient raga in the 18th century and breathed new life into it by creating many compositions in this raga.
Structure and Lakshana
It is 4th rāga in the 4th chakra Veda. The mnemonic name is Veda-Bhu. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gi ma pa dhi ni.[1] Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows (see
swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
The notes are chatushruti rishabham, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, chatushruti dhaivatam and kaisiki Nishadam. It is a
sampoorna rāgam – scale having all 7 swarams. It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of Hemavati, which is the 58th melakarta scale. Since the swaras of Kharaharapriya are quite evenly spaced, and since several different types of gamakas are allowed, it is a very versatile, fluid and flexible rāgam that allows for elaborate melodic improvisation within its scale.
Songs sung in Kharaharapriya ragas typically have long, elaborate ālapanās, which exhibit the fluidity of the rāgam. Kharaharapriya songs are usually meant to be sung slow, medium or medium-fast, in order to bring out the Karuna rasa and bhava of the song.
See
List of janya rāgams for full list of scales associated with Kharaharapriya.
Compositions
Kharaharapriya has been decorated with compositions by many composers. The ragam is most closely associated with
Thyagaraja who has pioneered in composing many songs in this rāgam, that have become popular and well known. Both
Muthuswami Dikshitar and
Shyama Sastri, however, have not composed kritis in 'Kharaharapriya'[4] A few of the popular compositions are listed here.
Chakkani Rājamārgamu, Pakkala Nilabaḍi, Mitri Bhāgyame, Rāmā nī samānamevaru, Naḍaci Naḍaci,Peridi ninnu, Chetulāra shrungāramu, Kori sevimpa rāre, Pāhi rāma rāma anuchu, Vidamu sevayave, and Rāma nīyada by saint
Tyagaraja in
Telugu language
Bharathi deviya nene by
Purandara Dasa in
Kannada and Okkaparikokkapari and Nityapujalivigo by
Annamacharya in
Telugu have now been tuned in Kharaharapiya since the original tunes have been lost forever.
The basic scale of Kharaharapriya has been used in several
film songs in
Indian film music. Although rarely authentic, there are several film songs that are set in this scale, or scales derived from this ragam. The popular Kannada song 'Arādhisuve madanāri', from the movie
Babhruvahana (1977) and sung by
Dr. Rajkumar, is in typical Kharaharapriya. A popular Tamil film composer
M.S.Viswanathan used this raga brilliantly in many of his songs such as "Maharajan Ullagai" from Karnan, "Maadhavi Ponmayilal" in the movie
Iru malargal. Ace singer
P. Unnikrishnan released his 2012 album on Lord
Ayyappan titled Shabaimalai Va Charanam Solli Va in which he has rendered a song in Kharaharapriya raagam set in classical melody. The song also illustrates how the Lord learnt the Kalari fight in
Cheerappanchira which houses a temple called Mukkal Vattam managed by Lord's Guruvamsam even now.[5]