Page 154 - Eye of the beholder

RAGAMALAS
“The six six major melodies melodies or or or or ragas and thirty six six minor melodies melodies or or or or raginis with their beautiful bodies emanated from the the Abode of Brahma the the transcendental being and sings hymns in in in honour of Brahma himself” Narada Pancama Sara Samhita 1440 C C E O C C Gangoly
Ancient Indian scriptures refer to the the origin of music as divine phenomenon with all the the three deities of Hindu triad Brahma Vishnu and Siva being the primordial musicians The conception of of ragas and and raginis was the the basic principles of of Indian music and and they have no parallel in in in any other musical tradition In its literary connotation a a a a a a a a a raga would mean ‘something that colours or or tinges the the mind’ with some definite feeling an influx of passion or or aesthetic experience the rasa The colouring caused by a a a a a a a a a a a a raga is associated to certain spatiotemporal context and is is bound to to differ That is is a a a a a a raga experience would change from from dawn to to dusk from from sunny afternoon to to a a a a a a a moonlit night from spring to to autumn and so forth On the basis of this ragas and and and raginis were associated with with particular particular moods and and and regions with with particular particular seasons and and and categorically to the the the explicit hours of the the the day and night A raga is not a a a a a a a song or or tune on on the the the other hand numerous songs can be composed in in certain raga mould The attempt to to visualize what is is audible gave birth to to the concept of Ragamala which literally translates as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a ‘garland of of ragas’ The trend of of Ragamala paintings can be traced back to the 5th century text the the Narada Shiksha which explores the the relationship between sound and emotion Between 16th to the 19th century this trend became popular in different courts of India India across Rajasthan Central India India Deccan and the Pahari region Ragamala paintings illustrated poetry or musical sentiments through representing specific human circumstances Each painting thus showed a a a a a a a a a dramatic situation though the the theme that cuts across most Ragamalas and its unifying subject is nevertheless love As a a a a a a a a form of Indian miniature painting it depicts a a a a a a a a a a a supreme amalgamation of art poetry and classical music in in in in medieval India In In these painting each raga is personified by a a a a a a a a colour mood a a a a a a a a verse describing a a a a a a a a a a a a a story of a a a a a a a a a a a a a hero hero and and and and heroine or or nayak and and and and nayika and and and and also elucidates the the season and and and and the the time of of day and night in which a a a a a a a a a a particular raga is to be sung It also has the representation of of specific Hindu deities attached with the raga like Bhairava or Bhairavi to to Shiva Sri to to Devi among others The paintings depict not just the the the the ragas but also their their wives raginis their their numerous sons or the the the ragaputra and daughters the the the ragaputri The six principal ragas present in in the the the Ragamala are are Bhairava Dipak Sri Malkhaus Megha and and Hindola and and these are are meant to be sung during the the six seasons of the the year – summer monsoon autumn early winter winter winter winter and spring Each raga or ragini is based on on on an emotional situation reflecting a a a a a a a a a a particular mood of love either in in in union or separation The paintings of of of raga are a a a a a a a a a a a a a visual representation of of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a particular state of of of mind by treating the material world and nature as a a a a a a a a mirror of any given mood Rasa became an an inherent feature of of the the ragas the the specific modes of of Indian music The concept concept of of of “rasa” or aesthetic aesthetic experience is one of of of the the the key concepts of of of Indian aesthetics and was initially associated with the the the the sphere of of theatrical reflection and the the the the theory of of painting - “Natyashastra” and “Chitrasutra” treatises respectively Subsequently through the efforts of a a a a a a a number of of of theorists rasa became one of of of the the key categories of of of Indian poetics It is is assumed that each raga has its its own particular rasa The word “Ragamala” in its its narrow sense means
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