Ragas and Raginis: A Pictorial and Iconographic Study of Indian Musical Modes Based on Original Sources c10.130

c10.130

The most famous name in Hindī Literature which figures in rāgamālā texts is that of Deo-Kavi. “According to native opinion he was the greatest poet of his time and indeed one of the greatest poets of India.” He was a Sanādh Brāhmaṇa of Etawah, born in Saṃvat 1730, and is believed to have died in 1802 Saṃvat. He wrote in pure Braja-bhāṣā and some of his verses are believed to be the finest productions of the poetic art. His poetic career began at the age of sixteen (c. 1689 A.D.). He wrote a short treatise on Music entitled Rāg-Ratnākar,¹ specially devoted to a classification and description of the rāgas with five rāgiṇīs each. To each melody is devoted a short descriptive couplet (dohā) followed by a savāyā giving a more detailed picture with suggestions for appropriate season and time for singing, and, sometimes, some details of the notes composing the melody. As will appear from an example to be cited below, the image