In South Indian weddings it is a very prominently played ragam. The word
Kalyani means
she who causes auspicious things. It is the 65th
melakarta ragam under the
Katapayadi sankhya. It is also called
Mechakalyani. The notes for Kalyani are S R2 G3 M2 P D2 N3. Kalyani is the first Prathi Madhyama raga that was ever discovered. It was obtained by the process of Graha Bhedam or modal shift of tonic of the ancient Shadja Grama.
Specifics on this raga Kalyani has scope for elaborate
alapana. One should not remain too long on panchamam (pa) or alternate between shadjamam and panchamam too frequently. Kalyani is prominently known among the public. It is often performed at the beginning of concerts because it is considered auspicious. Its structure is as follows (see
swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms): • Arohana|: • Avarohana|: The notes used in this scale are
shadjam, chatushūruti rishabam, antara gandharam, prati madhyamam,panchamam, chatushruti dhaivatam, kakali nishadam. It is a
Sampurna raga in Carnatic music, that is to say, has all the seven notes:
Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. It is the
prati madhyamam equivalent of
Sankarabharanam, which is the 29th
melakarta. This raga is very significant to the chart, because it is sung with all higher notes.
Janya ragams Kalyani has many
janya ragams (derived scales)associated with it, of which
Hamir Kalyani,
Mohanakalyani,
Amritha Kalyani,
Saranga,
Nada Kalyani,
Sunadavinodini and
Yamunakalyani are very popular. See
List of Janya Ragams for full list of rāgams associated with Kalyani.
Related ragams This section covers the theoretical aspects of Kalyani. Kalyani's notes when shifted using
Graha bhedam, yields 5 other major Melakarta ragams, namely,
Hanumatodi,
Sankarabharanam,
Natabhairavi,
Kharaharapriya and
Harikambhoji. For further details and an illustration of Graha bhedam of this ragam refer
Related ragams section in Sankarabharanam page. == Popular compositions ==