Musical Anatomy
Thaat
Todi
Jati
Shadav-Sampoorna
Time
Afternoon
Vadi
Pa
Samvadi
Sa
Nature
Serious, afternoon, introspective
Arohana (Ascent)
Sa ga Ma* Pa dha Ni Ṡa▲Avarohana (Descent)
Ṡa▲ Ni dha Pa Ma* ga re SaPakad (Characteristic Phrase)
Sa ga 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.
"Sakhi piya ko jo main na dekhun to kaisa jiun"
"Aayo re sanwariya, ang se ang lagao re"
Multani · 6 compositions
Multani is an afternoon raga derived from Todi, with a serious, introspective character.
Legend & Lore
Multani is an afternoon raga of the Todi thaat, taking its name from Multan, the ancient city in present-day Pakistan that was a major centre of Sufi culture and classical music.
Like Raga Todi, it employs komal Re, komal Ga, teevra Ma, and komal Dha, but its distinct ascending and descending patterns — and the emphasis on Pa as the vadi — give it a character more stern and inward-looking than the plaintive beauty of Todi.
The audav aroha omits Re and Dha, producing a lean ascent that contrasts with the rich seven-note descent.
It is considered one of the most demanding ragas in the Hindustani repertoire, requiring extreme precision in intonation of its clustered komal swaras.
Ustads Faiyaz Khan and Vilayat Khan and Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur have left celebrated recordings that reveal Multani's austere grandeur.
Knowledge Deep-Dive
Test Your Knowledge
1. Which thaat does Raga Multani belong to, sharing its basic scale structure?
2. Multani is prescribed for which time of day?
3. What is the jati (note-count structure) of Raga Multani?
Cinematic Echoes
2 Hindi film songs rooted in Multani
Discover More Songs in Multani
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 Multani's emotional palette — that's intentional cross-raag composition by the music director.