# Bilahari

Bilahari is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a janya rāgam (derived scale) from the 29th melakarta scale Sankarabharanam. It is a janya scale, as it does not have all the seven swaras (musical notes) in the ascending scale. It is a combination of the pentatonic scale Mohanam and the sampurna raga scale Sankarabharanam.

## Structure and Lakshana

Bilahari is an asymmetric rāgam that does not contain madhyamam or nishādham in the ascending scale. It is an audava-sampurna rāgam (or owdava rāgam, meaning pentatonic ascending scale). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows:
* ārohaṇa : S R₂ G₃ P D₂ Ṡ they are used in every song
* avarohaṇa : Ṡ N₃ D₂ P M₁ G₃ R₂ S
The notes used in this scale are shadjam, chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandhara, panchamam and chathusruthi dhaivatham in ascending scale, with kakali nishadham and shuddha madhyamam included in descending scale. For the details of the notations and terms, see swaras in Carnatic music.
This rāgam also uses kaishiki nishadham (N2) as an external note (anya swara) in the descending scale. Hence it is considered a bhashanga rāgam, a scale with notes external to the parent scale.

## Popular compositions

There are many compositions set to Bilahari rāgam. Here are some popular kritis composed in Bilahari.
* Sharanu Janakana By Purandara Dasa
* Belagu Javadi Baro By Vadiraja Tirtha
* Lakshmi Shobhane By Vadiraja Tirtha. This is one of the greatest literary works of Vadiraja Tirtha with 112 Charanas and the longest composition known by a carnatic composer
* Hanumana Maneyavaru by Vidyaprasanna Teertha in Kannada
* Na Jeevadhara, Dorakuna Ituvanti, Intha Kannanandamemi and Kanugontini composed by Tyagaraja
* Sri Balasubramanya, Kamakshi Varalakshmi, Ekadantham Bhajeham, Hatakeshwara and Sri Madhurapuri, by Muthuswami Dikshitar
* Smara Sada, Aaradhayami, Gopalam Seveham, Pahi Padmanabha, Jaya Suganalaya, Pahi Sarasanabha, Santhatham Bhajami and Vimukhava Tava by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma
* Karpagambike, Sarvesha Adimaiyai, Vaa Sharavanaa and Nijamunnai Nambinen by Papanasam Sivan
* Parithana Michite by Patnam Subramania Iyer
* Sri Chamundeshwari by Mysore Vasudevacharya
* Anaamilo Mahaboob is a Khayal in Hindi by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma
* Puraya Mama Kamam is a Tharangam by Narayana Teertha
* Raara Venugopa Bala is a famous Swarajati
* Kaanbadeppo by Ambujam Krishna
* Rabindranath Tagore has composed Ami Marer Sagor Pari Debo
* Intha Chouka is a Varnam composed by Veena Kuppayyar
* Maa Mayura a Tamil Kriti composed by Mazhavai Chidambara Bharathi

## Film songs
### Language:Tamil

| Song | Movie | Composer | Singer |
| Orumaiyudan Ninathu Thirumalaradi | Konjum Salangai | S. M. Subbaiah Naidu | Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi |
| Unnaikkandu Naanada | Kalyana Parisu | A. M. Rajah | P. Susheela |
| Aval Melai Sirithaal | Pachhai Vilakku | Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy | P. Susheela |
| Alayamani Kathave Thalthiravai | Thiruvarutchelvar | K. V. Mahadevan | T. M. Soundararajan, Master Maharajan |
| Kondaliley Megam | Bala Nagamma | Illayaraja | K.J. Yesudas |
| Nee ondruthan | Unnal Mudiyum Thambi | Illayaraja | K.J. Yesudas |
| Maaman Veedu | Ellam Inba Mayyam | Illayaraja | Malaysia Vasudevan |
| Thendrale | Kadhal Desam | A. R. Rahman | Mano, Unni Krishnan |
| Omana Penne | Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa | A. R. Rahman | Benny Dayal, Kalyani Menon |
| Poo Pookum Osai | Minsara Kanavu | A. R. Rahman | Sujatha Mohan |
| Pookkale Satru Oyevidungal | I | A. R. Rahman | Haricharan, Shreya Ghoshal |
| Kummi Adi | Sillunu Oru Kaadhal | A. R. Rahman | Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram, Swarnalatha, Naresh Iyer, Theni Kunjarammal, Vignesh, Chorus |
| Kadhal Anukkal | Enthiran | A. R. Rahman | Vijay Prakash, Shreya Ghoshal |
| Vaanga Makka Vaanga | Kaaviya Thalaivan | A. R. Rahman | Haricharan,Dr. Narayanan |
| Azhagiye | Kaatru Veliyidai | A. R. Rahman | Arjun Chandy, Haricharan, Jonita Gandhi |
| Vaan Engum Nee Minna | Endrendrum Punnagai | Harris Jeyaraj | Aalap Raju, Harini, Devan, Praveen |
| Then Kathu | Gethu | Harris Jeyaraj | Haricharan, Shashaa Tirupati |
| Mun Andhi | 7aum Arivu | Harris Jeyaraj | Karthik, Megha |
| Kalyana Sundari Yaro Oru Murai | Adaikalam | Sabesh–Murali | Shankar Mahadevan,Anuradha Sriram |
| Kanna Nee Thoongadaa | Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | M. M. Keeravani | Nayana Nair |
| Siru Thoduthalile | Laadam | Dharan Kumar | Bombay Jayashree, Haricharan |
| Pularaadha | Dear Comrade | Justin Prabhakaran | Sid Sriram, Aishwarya Ravichandran |
| Rasavachiye | Aranmanai 3 | C. Sathya | Sid Sriram |
| Aradhya | Kushi (2023 film) | Hesham Abdul Wahab | Sid Sriram, Chinmayi Sripada |
| Kaami Kaami | Tughlaq Durbar | Govind Vasantha | Govind Vasantha, Swastika Swaminathan |

## Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

### Scale similarities

* Mohanam has a symmetric pentatonic scale, with the notes same as the ascending scale of Bilahari. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R2 G3 P D2 S : S D2 P G3 R2 S
* Mohanakalyani is a rāgam which has the prati madhyamam in descending scale (descending scale of Kalyani) in place of the shuddha madhyamam. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R2 G3 P D2 S : S N3 D2 P M2 G3 R2 S
* Garudadhvani is a rāgam which has the ascending and descending scales interchanged, in comparison with Bilahari. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S : S D2 P G3 R2 S
* Desakshi is a rāgam which is similar to Bilahari. The arohana remains the same, while the sampoorna avarohana has Kaishiki Nishada in place of Kakali Nishada. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R2 G3 P D2 S : S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S