Dhenuka (raga)

Dhenuka is a raga in Carnatic music, a classical music tradition originating from South India. It is the 9th melakarta raga in the 72 melakarta system. It is also known as Dhenuka in the Muthuswami Dikshitar school and Senavati in the Govindacharya school.

Being a melakarta raga, Dhenuka is considered a parent scale, meaning it contains all seven notes ( sampoorna raga) in both its ascending (arohana) and descending (avarohana) scales. It adheres to the shuddha madhyamam set of melakarta ragas.

Its arohana and avarohana are:

Arohana: S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N1 S Avarohana: S N1 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S

Where:

• S is Shadjam
• R1 is Shuddha Rishabham
• G2 is Sadharana Gandharam
• M1 is Shuddha Madhyamam
• P is Panchamam
• D1 is Shuddha Dhaivatam
• N1 is Shuddha Nishadam

Dhenuka is considered an auspicious raga and is often sung at the beginning of concerts or recitals. Several compositions exist in this raga, attributed to various Carnatic music composers. It lends itself to expressions of devotion and serenity.