Day · Second Prahar · Purvahna पूर्वाह्न
Raag Ahir Bhairav राग अहीर भैरव
Bhairav's lower half with the top of the scale opened. Less severe, morning already underway.
When to listen to Raag Ahir Bhairav
Raag Ahir Bhairav belongs to the second of the eight prahars, Purvahna (day · second prahar). Mid-morning. The day has begun in earnest.
On a day with sunrise at six and sunset at six, that is roughly 9 am – 12 noon. The prahars are measured from the sun, not the clock, so the window moves through the year and from place to place. The station works out the prahar from your own sunrise and plays what belongs to it.
What to listen for
Take Bhairav's lower half and open the top of the scale. That is Ahir Bhairav, and it is why the raag sounds less severe than its parent. The morning has arrived by now, and the note that was flat and mournful an hour ago can afford some ease.
Listen for the natural seventh where Bhairav used the flat one. It is a small change. It changes everything about where the phrase can go.
Aroha, avaroha and pakad of Raag Ahir Bhairav
| Thaat | Bhairav |
|---|---|
| Aroha (ascent) | Sa re Ga Ma Pa Dha ni Sa |
| Avaroha (descent) | Sa ni Dha Pa Ma Ga re Sa |
| Pakad | ni Sa re Ga, Ma Ga, re Sa |
| Vadi | Ma (shuddha) |
| Samvadi | Sa |
| Swaras used | 7 of 12: Sa re Ga Ma Pa Dha ni |
| Prahar | Day · Second Prahar (Purvahna) |
Notation: lowercase is komal (flat), Ma# is tivra (sharp), everything else is shuddha.
How Raag Ahir Bhairav differs from similar raags
Ahir Bhairav and Bhairav
The parent. Bhairav holds komal Dha and shuddha Ni above Pa; Ahir Bhairav swaps both. The lower half is shared note for note, so the raag only reveals itself above the fifth.
Ahir Bhairav and Nat Bhairav
Nat Bhairav keeps shuddha Re where Ahir Bhairav uses komal re. That single note moves the whole character from tender to declarative.
Ahir Bhairav and Bhairavi
Bhairavi flattens Ga and Ni as well, so it reads as fully minor. Ahir Bhairav keeps shuddha Ga, which is what stops it from sounding sorrowful.
Listen: Raag Ahir Bhairav
Raag Ahir Bhairav
Film songs based on Raag Ahir Bhairav
- Poocho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitai — Meri Surat Teri Ankhen (1963), music by S.D. Burman, sung by Manna Dey. The most frequently cited film example of the raag.
- Albela Sajan Aayo Re — Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), music by Ismail Darbar, sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan.
- Solah Baras Ki Baali Umar Ko Salaam — Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981), music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Film songs borrow a raag's scale without always keeping its grammar, so attributions like these are widely published but rarely unanimous.
Origin
Younger than Bhairav, grafted from the folk Ahir (cowherd) scale onto Bhairav's lower half. It reached its familiar concert form only in the twentieth century, carried into the repertoire in part by Ustad Amir Khan.
Worth knowing
"Ahir" refers to a pastoral caste associated with cattle-herding in the Gangetic plain. The raag is one of several in the repertoire named for the folk melodies of a specific community rather than a place, person, or deity.
How sure is the time placement
well attested. Standard second-prahar raag. Some houses favour Ramkali instead; both open the day's second watch.
Sources: N.A. Jairazbhoy, The Rāgs of North Indian Music (1971); V.N. Bhatkhande, Kramik Pustak Malika; ITC Sangeet Research Academy raag notes.