Dhatuvardani

Carnatic Music
Concepts
Sruti • Swara • Raga • Tala • Melakarta • Asampurna Melakarta
Compositions
Varnam • Kriti • Geetham • Swarajati • Ragam Thanam Pallavi • Thillana
Instruments
melody: Vocals • Saraswati veena • Venu • Violin • Chitra veena • Nadaswaram • Mandolin rhythm: Mridangam • Ghatam • Morsing • Kanjira • Thavil drone: Tambura • Shruti box
Composers
List of Carnatic composers

Dhatuvardani (pronounced Dhātuvardani, Sanskrit: धातुवर्दनि, Tamil: தாதுவர்த்தனி) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). Dhatuvardani is the 69th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Dhoutapanchamam in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.^[1]

Structure and Lakshana

Dhatuvardani scale with Shadjam at C

Dhatuvardani is the 3rd rāgam in the 12th chakra Aditya. The mnemonic name is Aditya-Go. The mnemonic phrase is sa ru gu mi pa dha nu.^[2] Dhatuvardani's ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārohaṇa: S R3 G3 M2 P D1 N3 S
• avarohaṇa: S N3 D1 P M2 G3 R3 S

The notes used in this scale are shatsruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, prati madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham and kakali nishadham.

As Dhatuvardani is a melakarta rāgam, by definition it is a sampurna rāgam (it has all 7 notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the prati madhyamam equivalent of Gangeyabhushani, which is the 33rd melakarta.

Janya rāgams

A few minor janya rāgams (derived scales) are associated with Dhatuvardani. See List of Janya Rāgams for full list of rāgams associated with Dhatuvardani and other 71 melakarta rāgams.

Compositions

A few common compositions set to Dhatuvardani are:

• Sukha kara by Koteeswara Iyer
• Mahesham bhavayam by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

Dhatuvardani's notes when shifted using Graha bedham, yields Gayakapriya, a minor melakarta rāgam. Graha bedham is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam to the next note in the rāgam. For further details and an illustration refer Graha bedham on Gayakapriya.

References

1. ^ Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Keertanaigal by Vidwan A Sundaram Iyer, Pub. 1989, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai
2. ^ Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications