Bangala
बंगला
Origins & Context
Raag Bangala is a Khamaj thaat raga of Hindustani devotional music, performed before dawn, that uses shuddha Re, Ga, Ma, Pa and Dha with both komal Ni and shuddha Ni. Komal means lowered, shuddha means natural, and a thaat is a parent scale. Bengalis call it the Mangala Aratik raga, after the early-morning worship it serves.
In this notation, lowercase is a komal note, a dot the lower octave and an apostrophe the upper. The aroha, or ascent, is .N S .n S R M M P D n S', which leaves out Ga. The vadi, the most prominent note, is Ma, and the samvadi, its partner, is Sa.
Bengali morning songs use it, among them Samsara Davanala Lida Loka, the opening of the Gurvastakam prayer. Dasanudas Vanacari (David B. Hughes) describes a different Bangala, in the Bhairav family, with komal Re and komal Dha and no Ni.
KalaSudha celebrates Bangala as a raga that asks for technical skill and a spirit of total surrender, presents Hindustani musicians in concert and releases their recordings. Its academy teaches ragas online and in local workshops, and each course is built by its instructor with KalaSudha.
Technical Details
Melodic structure and movement patterns
Aroha (Ascent)
.N S .n S R M M P D n S'
Pakad (Catch Phrase)
M D P M G R S R M M
Additional Notes
Phraseologies
Key for these phrases: lowercase letters are komal notes, and a dot puts a note in the lower octave.
Ma carries so much weight that the tonic can slip from view. As the morning goes on, Pa and shuddha Ni come forward. In a teaching setting of the Gurvastakam, the melody opens M M M G R S, repeating Ma before falling through Ga and Re to Sa; the next line uses both forms of lower Ni.
That setting alternates two melodies across the eight verses, one for the odd verses and one for the even, and allows for differences between teachers.
Common Phrases
Classifiers
Swara geometries, relationships, and classifications
Swara Geometries
Related Ragas
Around the World
Global connections and equivalent scales
With Sa on C, Bangala uses C D E F G A, with both B flat and B.
Mixolydian mode
C D E F G A Bb C
Berklee PULSE gives C D E F G A Bb as C Mixolydian. With Sa on C, Bangala has these notes and adds B natural, and its ascent leaves out E.