अंदहलि

Raag Andhali is a complete scale with all 7 notes in both ascent and descent raga in the Carnatic classical music tradition.. With its Sampurna-Sampurna jati structure, this raag creates a distinctive tonal landscape. The predominant rasa is Peace/Tranquility (शांत), making it suitable for compositions that evoke peaceful, meditative emotions. It is traditionally performed during evening hours, and its melodic contour offers rich possibilities for alapana, kalpanaswaram, and creative improvisation.

As part of the rich tapestry of Indian classical music, Raag Andhali represents the deep connection between melodic structure and emotional expression that defines the Carnatic tradition.

Andhali is one of the oldest documented ragas in Carnatic music, with a recorded history stretching back to at least the 16th century. The musicologist Ramamatya (fl. c. 1550 CE) was the first to record the rāga under its current name in his Svaramelākalanidhi, placing it within the 'Srirāga mela.' Venkatamakhin likewise placed Andhali under the Sriraga mela in his Catuṛdaṇḍī Prakāśikā (c. 1660 CE). By the late 16th and early 17th century, the raag's gandhara underwent a significant change — shifting from the sadharana (komal Ga) form used in its early history to the antara (shuddha Ga) form, causing it to migrate from the Sriraga clan to the Kedaragaula clan. In modern Carnatic practice, Andhali is classified as a janya rāga of the Kedaragaula melakarta (Harikambhoji, the 28th melakarta: S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N2 S), whose note set corresponds to Khamaj thaat in the Hindustani tradition. The arohana is pentatonic, skipping Ga and Dha: S R M P N S; the avarohana is vakra: S N P M R G M R S, with the characteristic RGMR phrase being the raag's identificatory motif. Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775–1835) composed the famous kriti 'Brihannayakī Varadāyakī' in this raag, addressed to Goddess Brihannayaki at the Brihadeeswara temple, Thanjavur. Subbarama Dikshitar's Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini (1904) preserves the authoritative notation. The raag is sometimes also linked to older South Indian texts under the name 'Andol' or 'Andola,' predating Ramamatya's classification.