Musical Anatomy
Thaat
Kalyan
Jati
Audav-Sampoorna
Time
Night
Vadi
Ma
Samvadi
Sa
Nature
Devotional, majestic
Arohana (Ascent)
Sa Ma Pa Ma* Pa Dha Ni Ṡa▲Avarohana (Descent)
Ṡa▲ Ni Dha Pa Ma* Ma Ga Re SaPakad (Characteristic Phrase)
Sa Ma Ma Pa Dha Pa Ma* Ga Re 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.
"Payo ji maine Ram ratan dhan payo"
"Aye mere watan ke logo, zara aankh mein bhar lo paani"
Kedar · 7 compositions
Kedar is a night raga of the Kalyan thaat, named after a sacred Himalayan shrine. Its use of both Madhyam swaras (shuddha and teevra) is a distinctive feature.
Legend & Lore
Raga Kedar takes its name from Kedarnath — the ancient Jyotirlinga shrine of Lord Shiva set at 3,583 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas, accessible only on foot through glacial valleys and considered one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Hinduism — and every quality of the raga speaks to that landscape's combination of grandeur, austerity, and overwhelming devotional atmosphere.
The raga belongs to the Kalyan thaat but departs entirely from that thaat's typical romantic character; where ragas like Yaman and Shuddha Kalyan evoke the sweetness of longing in the evening, Kedar's primary rasa is Bhakti — deep, majestic devotional surrender — appropriate to a raga named after a place that demands everything of the pilgrim who seeks it.
Musically, Kedar is distinguished by its use of both Madhyam swaras — shuddha Ma and teevra Ma — a feature it shares with only a handful of other ragas, including Kedar's thaat-brother Yaman Kalyan; the teevra Ma appears characteristically in the ascending figure Sa–(t)Ma–Pa, one of the most immediately recognisable opening gestures in all of Hindustani music, a kind of calling card so distinctive that even a single phrase announces the raga unambiguously.
Its audav-sampoorna structure typically omits Re and Ga in ascent, creating bold leaping movements that contrast with richly ornamented, note-dense descents.
Ustad Faiyaz Khan's stately, spacious Kedar recordings and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi's devotionally intense Khayal renditions are regarded as the twin pillars of the modern performance tradition; the bhajan 'Prabhu Tero Naam Jo Dhyave' composed and performed in the Kedar ang by various artists remains among the most beloved devotional compositions in the raga's repertoire.
Classical ensembles performing at the Kedarnath shrine itself have used this raga as the musical offering to the deity — a convergence of name, location, and sound rarely achieved in classical music.
Knowledge Deep-Dive
Test Your Knowledge
1. What is Raga Kedar's most immediately recognisable ascending phrase?
2. After which sacred Himalayan site is Raga Kedar named?
3. How does Raga Kedar's emotional character (rasa) depart from other major Kalyan thaat ragas like Yaman and Bhupali?
Cinematic Echoes
47 Hindi film songs rooted in Kedar
Chandrodayam Oru Pennanatho
TamilChandhrodhayam
Music · M. S. Viswanathan
Singers · T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
Yeriyile Oru Kashmir Roja
MalayalamMadhanamaaligai
Music · M. B. Sreenivasan
Singers · P. Suseela, K. J. Yesudas
Devi Vantha Neram
TamilVandichakkaram
Music · Shankar–Ganesh
Singers · S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jairam
Sadhinchanouna
TamilRahasyam · 1967
Music · Ghantasala (musician)
Singers · Ghantasala (musician), P. Susheela
Nee Madhu Murali gaana leela
TamilBhakta Jayadeva
Music · S. Rajeswara Rao
Singers · Ghantasala (musician)
Dharsan Do Ghan Shyam
Narsi Bhagat · 2013
Music · Shankar Rao Vyas
Singers · Hemant Kumar, Manna Dey, Sudha Malhotra, G.S.Nepali, Ravi
Aap Yun Hi Agar Humse Milte Rahe
Ek Musafir Ek Hasina
Music · O. P. Nayyar
Singers · Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
Chandrodayam Oru Pen
TamilChandhrodhayam
Music · M. S. Viswanathan
Singers · T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
Eriyile Oru Kashmir Roja
MalayalamMaadhana Maaligai
Music · M. B. Sreenivasan
Singers · P. Susheela, K. J. Yesudas
Manasukkul Utkarnthu
TamilKalyana Agathigal
Music · V. S. Narasimham
Singers · P. Susheela, Raj Sitaraman
Nee Than En Desiya Geetham
TamilPaarthale Paravasam
Music · A. R. Rahman
Singers · K. S. Chithra, Balram
Discover More Songs in Kedar
Search all major music platforms for Hindi film and classical recordings in this raag. These go well beyond the 47 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 Kedar's emotional palette — that's intentional cross-raag composition by the music director.
Often Confused With
Key distinctions that set Kedar apart from similar raags
Both use tivra Ma, but Kedar also uses shuddha Ma and its characteristic phrase oscillates around Ma. Yaman moves more linearly and its vadi is Ga rather than Ma.
Hameer uses both Mas like Kedar but also includes komal Ni in descent, giving it a distinctive late-night quality. Kedar is more straightforwardly devotional and uses only shuddha Ni.