बिदल्

Raag Bidal 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 Bidal represents the deep connection between melodic structure and emotional expression that defines the Carnatic tradition.

Bidal is a rare Carnatic janya raag with a short, distinctive name. The word bidal (or vidala) has several possible Sanskrit roots: it can mean a cat (biDaala, बिडाल in Sanskrit) — the cat being associated with stealth, grace, and nocturnal movement in Indian folk and classical literature; or it may be a phonological variant of vidala, meaning a cleft or opening, as in the opening of a lotus blossom. In Carnatic music, unusual one-word raag names sometimes reflect the raag's characteristic melodic movement — the stealthy, unpredictable leaps of a cat could metaphorically describe certain vakra (zigzag) movements in melody. Raags with animal names appear across both Carnatic and Hindustani traditions (Hamsa for swan, Mayura for peacock, Kokila for cuckoo). Venkatamakhin's 72-melakarta taxonomy (c. 1620 CE) provides the classification framework, but Bidal's parent melakarta and swaras have not been documented in standard Carnatic reference works. Without verified arohana/avarohana, a Hindustani thaat assignment is not possible.