Raga Bhairav Ke Prakaar

Raga Bhairav Ke Prakaar is a 1995 studio release by Hindustani classical vocalist Kumar Gandharva. The album presents a collection of six tracks centered on variations of Raga Bhairav, a fundamental raga in the morning thaat tradition of North Indian classical music. The release format is a commercial audio recording, though the original label and physical media specifics remain undocumented in available sources.

Kumar Gandharva structured the album to explore distinct interpretations of the Bhairav family. The opening track Rag Bhairav (Jhaptal) establishes the core raga in a 10-beat rhythmic cycle. This is followed by Rag Bhavmat Bhairav (Teental), a variant rendered in the 16-beat teental, and Rag Ahir Bhairav (Teental), which incorporates melodic phrases from the ahir folk tradition. The fourth composition, Rag Beehad Bhairav, omits a specified taal in the title but retains the Bhairav framework with altered phrasing. Rag Gunakari (Teental) introduces a lesser-known derivative, while the closing Bhajan (Kaharva) shifts to an 8-beat devotional format, blending classical and folk elements.

The recording captures Kumar Gandharva’s signature approach to raga elaboration, emphasizing emotional depth and improvisational spontaneity. The accompaniment details, including instrumentalists or percussionists, are not explicitly credited in the primary release metadata. The album’s release date is documented as January 1, 1995, though the exact recording period and production context remain unverified. Raga Bhairav Ke Prakaar serves as a representative work of Kumar Gandharva’s late-career explorations, focusing on the expressive range of Bhairav and its allied ragas.