Ragas · reference · 5 min read

Raga Charukeshi (Charukesi)

A major scale that turns minor halfway up

Charukeshi comes from Carnatic music and uses Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, lowered Dha and lowered Ni. Heard in concerts, light music and film scores, its bittersweet character is clearest in the descent from lowered Ni through lowered Dha to Pa.

By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 26 Sept 2026

What is Raga Charukeshi

A raga is a melodic framework for composing music and inventing melody during performance. Charukeshi, spelled Charukesi in Carnatic music, gives you more than a set of notes. Its identity also comes from how those notes move, which phrases return, and how they are ornamented.

Charukesi is number 26 among the 72 melakarta ragas. A melakarta is a parent scale in the Carnatic system. Charukesi is also sampoorna, meaning it uses all seven notes in both ascent and descent. That describes its note material, not everything about how to play it.

Charukeshi came to Hindustani music from the South in the 20th century. Its origin is Carnatic, but its use now extends to Hindustani concerts, light music and film scores. Think of it as a Carnatic raga that has also found a place in Hindustani performance.

What are the notes of Charukeshi

Charukeshi uses Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, komal Dha and komal Ni in sargam, the note syllables used here. Komal means lowered, while shuddha means natural: Re, Ga and Ma are shuddha, and Dha and Ni are komal. The raga is sampoorna, meaning it uses all seven notes, both going up and coming down. In the notation below, lowercase dha and ni mark the lowered notes.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa dha ni Sa'

Ascending: Sa' marks the upper Sa. Notice the two lowered notes between Pa and the upper Sa.

Sa' ni dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa

Descending: the same seven notes return in reverse order. Listen especially to the recognisable turn ni dha Pa.

With Sa as C, ascending: C D E F G Ab Bb C.
Descending: C Bb Ab G F E D C.
Ab and Bb correspond to komal Dha and komal Ni.

The nearest Western scale to Charukeshi

With Sa set to C, Charukeshi gives you C D E F G Ab Bb C. C D E F G matches the lower part of a major scale. Ab and Bb bring the minor-scale colour near the top, rather than changing the whole scale to minor.

The nearest Western description is Mixolydian with a lowered sixth, also called Aeolian dominant. A mode is a scale with a home note. Here, C is home, and Ab is the lowered sixth. Use this name as a reference for the notes.

A raga is a melodic framework, not just a collection of pitches. Charukeshi's identity also depends on how those pitches move, which notes receive emphasis, and the ornaments, or melodic decorations, around them. Playing the right keys does not settle those choices. Tuning and phrasing still matter, and changing chords can reshape the melody's meaning.

Charukeshi mood, performance times and uses

Against the natural Ga and Ma, komal Dha and Ni change the feeling of the melody. Komal means the lowered form of a note. That contrast gives Charukeshi its bittersweet character: the brightness of the lower notes remains audible beside the sadness suggested by the upper notes.

Tender and devotional are also common descriptions of its mood. These words describe the same contrast rather than separate versions of the raga. Listen to the relationship between the natural and lowered notes, rather than expecting every phrase to sound simply happy or sad.

In Hindustani practice, Charukeshi is usually placed in the evening. That is a customary placement, not a fixed rule for when you can play or hear it. Carnatic ragas are not tied to times of day, and recordings can be heard at any hour.

Charukeshi came into Hindustani music from the South in the 20th century. Today it appears in Hindustani concerts, light music and film scores. Its combination of brightness and sadness is widely used in these settings, so neither mood alone fully describes its character.

How to hear Charukeshi

Start by listening to the climb from Pa to the upper Sa, written Sa'. The lowered notes between them carry much of Charukeshi’s colour. Komal means lowered, and lowercase dha and ni mark komal Dha and komal Ni here. Follow them as a phrase, not just separate pitches.

Pa dha ni Sa', ni dha Pa

Hear the climb first, then the return through ni dha Pa. That descending turn is Charukeshi’s most recognisable cue. Listen for it returning as the melody unfolds.

Now compare that turn with Ga and Ma below it. These notes are shuddha, meaning natural. With Sa as C, Ga and Ma are E and F, while dha and ni are Ab and Bb. The contrast matters more than calling the whole melody happy or sad.

Ga Ma Pa dha ni dha Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa

Listen for the change when dha enters after Ga Ma Pa, then follow the return to the natural notes below.

How to practise Charukeshi

With Sa set to C, keep C and G sounding underneath all three phrases. They give you a sustained reference on Sa and Pa. In the notation below, lowercase dha and ni are komal, meaning lowered.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa

Sing or play this phrase first. Hear the major-scale sound of C D E F G before returning to Sa.

Pa dha ni Sa', ni dha Pa

Now hear dha enter directly after Pa. Follow the climb to the higher Sa, then listen for the recognisable descent ni dha Pa.

Ga Ma Pa dha ni dha Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa

This phrase places the lowered notes beside the natural Ga and Ma. Listen to the contrast, then follow the return through the lower notes.

Questions people ask

What are the notes of Charukeshi, and which are komal?

In sargam, or note syllables, Charukeshi uses Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, komal (lowered) Dha and komal Ni. Re, Ga and Ma are shuddha, meaning natural. Charukeshi is sampoorna, meaning it uses all seven notes, both ascending and descending. With Sa as C, the notes are C D E F G Ab Bb C.

What is the nearest Western scale to Charukeshi?

The nearest Western equivalent is Mixolydian with a lowered sixth, sometimes called the Aeolian dominant scale. With Sa as C, C D E F G matches the lower part of a major scale, while Ab and Bb add minor-scale colour. This comparison describes the notes only, not Charukeshi’s phrasing or ornaments, the ways notes are shaped and decorated.

Is Charukeshi Carnatic or Hindustani, and which melakarta is it?

Charukesi is the 26th of the 72 melakarta ragas, the parent scales of Carnatic music. It came to Hindustani music from the South in the 20th century. Today it is heard in Hindustani concerts as well as light music and film scores.

What mood does Charukeshi have, and when is it played?

The lowered Dha and Ni contrast with natural Ga and Ma, giving Charukeshi its bittersweet character. Its mood is also described as tender or devotional. Carnatic ragas are not tied to times of day. Hindustani practice usually places Charukeshi in the evening, but this is not a fixed rule, and recordings can be heard at any time.

How do I practise and recognise Charukeshi?

Keep a drone, a sustained reference, sounding on Sa and Pa, or C and G when Sa is C. Here lowercase dha and ni mean lowered Dha and Ni, while Sa' means the upper Sa. Practise these phrases: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa; Pa dha ni Sa', ni dha Pa; Ga Ma Pa dha ni dha Pa, Ma Ga Re Sa. Listen for the change when dha enters after Pa and for the recognisable descent ni dha Pa.

Keep going

What is a raga? A plain-language guide for listeners · A raga is a melodic framework in Indian classical music for creating pieces and inventing melody during performance. Listen for four things: which notes appear, how the melody moves, where the musician lingers, and which short phrases return.
Raga vs scale: what Western musicians get wrong · A raga adds rules for movement, emphasis, identifying phrases and ornamentation to a scale or mode, a scale with a home note. Producers lose its identity when they treat it as a note list, ignore its tuning and phrasing, or let changing chords reshape the melody’s meaning.

Sources

Wikidata · Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Facts come from the sources above and the author's notes; Wikipedia material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.