page_title: Mohanam
section_title: Structure and Lakshana
hierarchical_section_title: Mohanam / Structure and Lakshana
context_page_description: Mohanam is a rāga in Carnatic music. It is an audava rāga. It is usually described as a janya rāga of Harikamboji. However, alternate opinions suggest that Mechakalyani may be a more appropriate classification based on the lakshana of the raga.
  The equivalent of Mohanam in Hindustani music is Bhoop.
  It is one of the most common pentatonic scales across the world and is very popular in East Asian and South-east Asian music, including China and Japan.
context_section_description: Mohanam is a symmetric rāga that does not contain madhyamam and nishādham. It is a symmetric pentatonic scale (audava-audava raga in Carnatic music classification - audava meaning 'of 5'). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
  ārohaṇa : S R₂ G₃ P D₂ Ṡ
  avarohaṇa : Ṡ D₂ P G₃ R₂ S
  (the notes used in this scale are shadjam, chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, panchamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham)
  Mohanam is usually classified as a janya rāga of Harikambhoji, the 28th Melakarta rāga, though alternate opinions exist that prefer classifying it as a janya raga of Kalyani based on its lakshana. The Hindustani equivalent Bhoop is associated with Kalyan thaat (equivalent of Kalyani).
  One of the first scales employed by the ancient Tamils was the Mullaippann (3BCE), a pentatonic scale composed of the notes sa ri ga pa da equivalent to C, D, E, G and A in the western notations. These fully harmonic scales, constitutes the raga Mohanam in the Carnatic music style.
caption: Mohanam scale with shadjam at C