Introduction:

To understand the evolution of the rāga system, lakṣaṇa grantha-s hold a position of central importance as authoritative repositories of theoretical knowledge and historical memory. In the absence of recorded sound prior to the modern era, musicological treatises serve as the most reliable primary sources for understanding how rāga-s were conceptualised, classified, and transmitted across generations. Therefore, the study of such treatises is not merely an exercise in archival documentation but a methodological necessity for comprehending rāga as a historically layered and culturally embedded concept. 

The three principal treatises of Oḍiśi music that describe rāga-s in detail are Gīta Prakāśa (16th century) of Kṛṣṇadāsa Baḍajena Mahapatra, Saṅgīta Muktāvalī (late 16th century) of Haricandana, and Saṅgīta Nārāyaṇa (17th century) of Puruṣōttama Miśra. These works form the primary textual foundation for understanding the rāga system as articulated within the Oḍiśi musical tradition.

Collating the rāga-lakṣaṇa-s described in these works, along with the śāstra-s of Oḍiśi music and those preserved through oral traditions, Pt. Gopal Chandra Panda - a veteran musician and musicologist - has devoted nearly four decades to compiling Oḍiśi Rāga Ratnābalī.

The first edition of the work was published in 2004, followed by the second edition in 2014 by Bhagabati Prakashanee, Bhubaneswar. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my Oḍiśi Music Ācārya, Smt. Sangita Panda, for kindly sending me a copy of this treatise by post for the purposes of my research. It may be noted that this book is not presently available online. Before discussing the work in detail, it is important to briefly understand the background of the author.

About the Author:

Guru Śrī Gopal Chandra Panda, a disciple of Ādiguru Śrī Singhari Shyamsundar Kar, is a veteran musician and musicologist who has played a significant role in shaping and popularising Oḍiśi music across the country. He served as a lecturer and later as the Head of the Department at Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya for nearly three decades and is the founder of the Guru Gopal Panda Odissi Academy. In recognition of his contributions to the field, he was conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2011.

His other recognitions include the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2000), Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award (2009), Sangeet Saraswati Samman, Ila Panda Smaraki Sangeet Samman, the KAMS Charity Lifetime Achievement Award (2021), among others.

Among his notable disciples are Guru Ramhari Das, Mitali Chinara, and Binod Bihari Panda, while his daughters, Sangita Panda and Sarita Panda, are also renowned vocalists. He has also notated all the aṣṭapadī-s of Jayadēva’s Gītagōvinda following the original rāga-tāla indications of the 12th century poet in an effort to reconstruct their traditional musical form.

About the Work - Oḍiśi Rāga Ratnābalī:

Oḍiśi Rāga Ratnābalī is an important work written in Hindi that seeks to document the distinctive melodic structures of the Oḍiśi musical tradition and present them in a systematic manner for students, scholars, and practitioners. According to the author, the preservation and propagation of original Oḍiśi rāga-s are essential for establishing the classical identity of the tradition alongside the Hindusthāni and Karṇāṭak streams of Indian music.

To facilitate an understanding of the grouping of rāga-s under the mēla system and its historical development, the preface provides a detailed discussion of this classification. It notes that in the post-Independence period, the mēla system of Oḍiśi music was critically revised and systematically reformulated by Kabichandra Kali Charan Patnaik and Shyamsundar Dhir, resulting in the articulation of ten principal mēla-s, which may be correlated with the mēlakartā-s of the Karṇāṭak system and the thāṭ-s of Hindusthāni music. The preface further mentions that in 1970, Pt. Tharini Charana Patra proposed a system of thirty-two mēla-s, to which the author subsequently added four additional mēla-s - Naṭa Nārāyaṇī, Ānanda Bhairabī, Mēghaparṇṇī, and Pañcama Barāḍī.

In addition, the preface briefly introduces earlier works of Oḍiśi music that contain rāga-lakṣaṇa-s and presents an overview of the relational approach between Oḍiśi and the broader framework of Indian music. This section has been translated into English by Śrī Jitendra Kumar Panda.

Before examining the contents of this work, it is important to note that within the Oḍiśi tradition, rāga-s may be broadly classified into two categories - core rāga-s and pāramparika (traditional) rāga-s. Core rāga-s are those documented in foundational treatises such as Gīta Prakāśa, Saṅgīta Muktāvalī, and Saṅgīta Nārāyaṇa, and are often accompanied by nyāsa ślōka-s describing their lakṣaṇa-s. Pāramparika rāga-s, on the other hand, are those transmitted through long-standing oral and performative traditions, finding expression in the compositions of eminent Odia poets such as Jayadēva, Sarala Dāsa, Baladēva Ratha, Upēndra Bhañja, Banamāli Dāsa, and Gōpālakṛṣṇa.

A close reading of the prefaces to these works indicates that the notational system employed follows the Bhātkhaṇḍē (North Indian) style. In this system, an underlined svara denotes its kōmal (flattened) variety, while madhyama marked with a vertical line represents the tīvra (raised) variety. Further, svara-s enclosed within a broad “u”-like bracket are intended to be rendered in the second degree of speed, or mēl kālam. The preface also includes foundational exercises in the form of alaṅkāra-s intended for pedagogical use and practical training.

The work presents a collection of 63 Oḍiśi rāga-s, each accompanied by both theoretical explanation and practical illustration. The information provided for each rāga includes:

• Name of the rāga

• Grāma–mūrchana–jāti specifications for core rāga-s and antiquity (in years) for pāramparika rāga-s

• Mēla or parent scale classification

• Ārōhaṇa and avarōhaṇa

• Vādī and samvādī svara-s

• Characteristic phrases with a brief notated ālāpana

• Suggested time of rendition

• Examples of compositions

The following example illustrates how each rāga is described in this work.