Musical Anatomy
Thaat
Kalyan
Jati
Audav
Time
Morning
Vadi
Ga
Samvadi
Dha
Nature
Devotional, swinging, spring morning
Arohana (Ascent)
Sa Ga Ma* Dha Ni Ṡa▲Avarohana (Descent)
Ṡa▲ Ni Dha Ma* Ga SaPakad (Characteristic Phrase)
Ga Ma* Dha Ni Sa, Dha Ma* Ga SaNotation guide
Notable Compositions
Raga attributions for film songs, ghazals, and semi-classical pieces are often disputed. Composers may draw from a raga without strictly adhering to it. Treat these as approximate — we show a confidence indicator on each entry.
Hindol · 5 compositions
Hindol (meaning "swing") is associated with the image of Krishna swinging. It has a devotional, joyful quality and is performed in the morning.
Legend & Lore
Hindol, meaning 'swing' or 'cradle,' occupies a uniquely exalted position in Hindustani classical music as one of the six fundamental ragas in the ancient Shiva-mata Raga-Ragini classification system, where it was accorded the status of a masculine raga of primary importance.
The raga's imagery is inseparably entwined with the vision of young Krishna being swung by the gopis on a golden swing festooned with spring flowers during the Jhula festival, and the raga's melodic contour—a broad, swaying arc that leaps from Ma* to Dha, bypassing the absent Pa—literally enacts that swinging motion in sound.
Its pentatonic structure omits both Re and Pa, and it belongs to the Kalyan thaat, so teevra Ma (sharp fourth) pervades every ascending phrase, lending the entire raga a characteristic golden brightness that matches the imagery of spring morning light.
Pandit Omkar Nath Thakur, celebrated for his deep connection to Dhrupad and devotional music, gave historical recordings of Hindol in which the raga's devotional grandeur unfolded over extraordinarily slow alaaps of meditative intensity.
Ustad Vilayat Khan's sitar renditions were equally celebrated, with the instrumental voice perfectly capturing the arc-like swinging phrases.
The bhajan 'Jhulan Jhulaao Ri' composed in Hindol's melodic language remains one of the most frequently heard devotional pieces associated with Krishna during the Shravan month.
Knowledge Deep-Dive
Test Your Knowledge
1. The characteristic ascending leap from Ma* directly to Dha in Hindol is a consequence of which structural feature?
2. Which specific ornament is most closely identified with Raga Hindol and evokes the raga's central physical image?
3. Hindol belongs to which thaat, from which it inherits its teevra Madhyam?
Cinematic Echoes
2 Hindi film songs rooted in Hindol
Discover More Songs in Hindol
Search all major music platforms for Hindi film and classical recordings in this raag. These go well beyond the 2 indexed above.
Many Hindi film songs blend multiple raags across their mukhda and antara. When searching, you may discover songs primarily in other raags that share Hindol's emotional palette — that's intentional cross-raag composition by the music director.