Raagang Part I - Bhairav, Kamod

A Raagang is a key phrase (ang) from one raag that gives another raag a familiar touch or identity when used within it. In the early 20th century, Pandit N. M. Khare defined 30 Raagang Raags to help recognize how different raags are connected through shared melodic phrases.
The video below demonstrates the Bhairav and Kamod Raagangs as they appear in several well-known raags.

Raagang Part I: Bhairav, Kamod

What is a Raagang?

The term Raagang combines Raag and ang (part). It refers to a key identifying phrase that gives a raag its distinctive character. When one raag regularly uses a phrase that belongs to another, it is said to carry that raag’s ang. You can think of it like a familiar facial feature that makes someone instantly recognizable.

Musicologists have developed different systems to classify raags. The thaat system, created by Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, is a well-known framework based on notes present in raags. Around the same time, Pandit N. M. Khare, a disciple of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, introduced another practical approach. He identified around 30 raags with unique, defining phrases — these became known as the Raagang raags. Other raags that share those characteristic phrases are said to carry that Raagang.

A Raagang is not same as Thaat. Both thaats and raagangs are sometimes named after the same janak (parent) raag such as Bhairav and Kalyan because many raags are derived from these janak raags.

Bhairav Raagang

The Bhairav Raagang is defined by the phrase G M R S, seen across members of the Bhairav family, including Raags Bhairav, Ramkali, and Ahir Bhairav, as demonstrated in the above video.

Kamod Raagang

Kamod is a Raagang raag belonging to the Kalyan thaat.
It shares some Kalyan-ang features but also has its own distinct phrases that recur in other raags, earning it Raagang status.

The Kamod Raagang is defined by the phrase G M R S, seen in many raags such as Kamod, Chhayanat, Hameer, and Shyam Kalyan, as demonstrated in the above video.

Importance of Raagangs

Many raags share the same notes yet sound different because of their distinctive phrases. Raagangs give students a clear way to recognize these differences by ear. Knowing Raagangs becomes especially useful when understanding samprakritik raags (closely related raags), as it helps both performers and listeners tell them apart in practice and in performance.