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Thaat · one of Bhatkhande’s ten

पूर्वीPurvi

Komal Re and Dha, and a tivra Ma: the scale of sunset, grave and glowing.

60 madhya
About these soundsMeend makes the harmonium and santoor sounds itself. They aren’t recordings of real instruments, so they sound close, but not quite the same. They are here to let you hear how the swaras go.The tanpura and tabla are recordings of real ones.
SRGMPDNपूर्वी

Tap a swara to hear it

Its swaras
S r G M# P d N
What sets it apart
Komal Re and Dha, tivra Ma
How bright
-1, one step below Bilawal
In the West
No common Western mode: a major scale with its second and sixth lowered and its fourth raised
In the South
Kamavardhini, the 51st melakarta, also called Pantuvarali

Purvi lowers Re and Dha to komal and raises Ma to tivra: Sa komal-Re Ga tivra-Ma Pa komal-Dha Ni. It is Bhairav's scale with its Ma raised, and where Bhairav's raags belong to dawn, Purvi's belong to sunset: grave, glowing raags for the hour when day turns into night.

Its swaras

Aaroh and avaroh
SRGMPDNS
SNDPMGRS

Purvi has the same narrow and wide steps as Bhairav, komal Re to Ga and komal Dha to Ni, but tivra Ma lifts its middle, so the scale seems both shadowed and lit. Many of its raags use shuddh Ma too, beside the tivra, and the two Mas side by side are part of the sunset sound.

In threes, up and down
SRGRGMGMPMPDPDNDNS
SNDNDPDPMPMGMGRGRS

All ten alankars in Purvi, to hear in your Sa →

How bright it is

Two komal swaras and one tivra: one step below Bilawal on the ladder, beside Khamaj.

  1. +1Kalyan
  2. 0BilawalMarwa
  3. -1KhamajPurvi
  4. -2BhairavKafiTodi
  5. -3Asavari
  6. -4Bhairavi
Brighter at the top: a step up for tivra Ma, a step down for each komal swara.

On the circle of thaats

Purvi sits between Todi and Marwa: lower its Ga and it is Todi; raise its Dha and it is Marwa. And Bhairav stands beside it, outside the ring: bring Purvi's Ma back to shuddh and you have Bhairav.

MaNiGaDhaReMa, NiGaDhaReMaSRGMPDNपूर्वीKalyan+1Bilawal0Khamaj-1Kafi-2Asavari-3Bhairavi-4Todi-2Purvi-1Marwa0Bhairav-2
Each thaat a swara from the next, the swara that changes on the line between them. Between Bhairavi and Todi two change; Bhairav stands outside, a swara from Purvi.

Its raags

Purvi itself, Puriya Dhanashri and Shree are the great raags of sunset; Basant, of spring; Paraj, Gauri, Jaitashree and Rewa belong here too. Shree is one of the gravest raags there is, its leaps from komal Re to Pa slow and deliberate.

In the West and the South

There is no common Western mode with these swaras: it is a major scale with its second and sixth lowered and its fourth raised.

In Karnatic music it is the 51st melakarta, Kamavardhini, also called Pantuvarali.

Practise it

Practise the two narrow steps with care: komal Re above Sa, komal Dha above Pa, each held against the tanpura.

Pa, komal Dha, Ni, Sa
P–––D–––N–––S–––
Puriya Dhanashri's way up
NRGMPDNS

To make the ten thaats a daily riyaz, Meend has them ready: begin a riyaz of the thaats.

Questions

Which swaras are altered in Purvi thaat?

Re and Dha are komal; Ma is tivra. Ga and Ni are shuddh.

Which raags are in Purvi thaat?

Purvi, Puriya Dhanashri, Shree, Basant, Paraj, Gauri, Jaitashree and Rewa, among others.

How is Purvi different from Bhairav?

One swara: Purvi's Ma is tivra, Bhairav's shuddh. Purvi's raags belong to sunset, Bhairav's to dawn.