Historical Development of Indian Music: A Critical Study c8.46

c8.46

Between 400 and 200 B.C. there evolved another new type of melodic song, *grāmarāga*. It has already been said that the *grāmarāga* songs were constructed out of the *jātirāgas* of different *grāmas*. The *grāmas* evolved out of the cluster or succession of notes. From the *Nāradīśikṣā* of the first century A.D. we know that seven kinds of scales evolved and gave rise to seven types of melodies like *grāmarāgas*. The seven types of scales and melodies are: *ṣāḍava*, *pañcama*, *ṣadja-grāma*, *madhyamagrāma*, *sādhārita*, *kaiśika* and *kaiśika-madhyama*. The existence of these seven ancient scales are fully supported by the Kudumiamalai Cave-Inscription, installed by the Pallava King Mahendravarman, in the early Chālukyan period, seventh century A.D. In *Mahābhārata* (300 B.C.) and *Harivaṃśa* (200 B.C.) we find the practice of the six *grāmarāgas*: ‘*ṣaḍ-grāmarāgādi samādhiyuktam*’. These *grāmarāgas* had their full play even in the third *gāndhāragrāma*: ‘*ā-gandhāra-grāmarāgam*’, which was rendered obsolete in the Christian era. The *prabandha* type of classical *Brahmagītis* and *Kapālagītis* also evolved at that time, the full descriptions of which are mentioned in Śāraṅgadeva’s encyclopaedic work *Saṅgīta-Ratnākara* of the early thirteenth century. These new types of *Brahmagītis* were *aparāntaka*, *ullopya*, *sarovindu*, *uttara*, *ṛk*, *gāthā*, *pānik*, etc. It is said that they were devised by Brahmabharata, the first propagator of the *gāndharva* music. Śāraṅgadeva says that the *Brahmagītis* were practised with *jāti* or *grāma rāgas* of different scales, registers, rhythms and tempo.