Anandabhairavi is a popular raga (melodic composition in Carnatic music. It is one of the ancient ragas and is sung at all times. The melody of the raga is revealed when sun in vilambakalam (slow tempo). The raga is suitable for singing verses, lullabies, marriage songs, folk melodies, svarajatis, varnams, kritis, kirtanas, tarangams, padams, daruvus, javalis, tillanas etc. The raga evokes karuna (compassion) and sringara (romantic) rasas (emotions).
Matrubhutayya (17th century CE) composed ‘ni madi challaga
nanu brochuta’ in Anandabhairavi. Shyama Shastri, one of the three eminent
composers of the 18th – 19th centuries, played a significant role in popularizing
this raga. His composition Himacalatanaya is alliterative and brings out the
dept of this raga. Besides kritis (compositions), various folk songs in this
raga, e.g., kasturi rangaranga, ramalali meghasyama lali (lullabies), manjunihara
kavadi chindu have also been composed.
The kirtanas of Bhadrachala Ramadas and Sadasiva Brahmendra
are in this raga. The kirtana Palukebangaramayana
is in this raga.
Muthuswami Deekshitar has composed many kritis in this raga.
The song anandisvarena is dedicated to the deity at Tiruvarur. Among the eight
kritis in the eight declensions in Sanskrit, composed on Murugan, the presiding
deity at Tiruttani, on whom Dikshitar composed the first ever song in
accusative case, manasaguruguha is very popular. Another son on Abayamba is in
the same raga. Kamalamba samrakshat is one of this navavarna kritis on the
Goddess. His composition in Anandabhairavi to the deity Tyagaraja at Tiruvarur
has the unique feature, similar to the tapering of the cow’s tail, of the
expression tyagaraja yogavaibhavam, giving rise to several other related words
in the lyrics such as agarajayogavaibhavam, rajayogavaibhavam, yogavaibhavam,
bhavam and vam.
There is a story that famous saint music composer Tyagaraja
was requested by some musicians of the Kuchipudi tradition not to compose any
kriti in the Anandabhairavi raga. However, Tyagaraja did not agree and his
compositions such as rama ram ani varamu, kshirasagara vihara (utsava
sampradaya kriti) in Anandabhairavi raga are very popular.
There are melodious folk songs like erukasani pata in this
raga in the Kuchipudi dance ballet Padamavati Srinivasam. Some of the tarangams
in Krishnaleela Tarangini of Narayanatirtha and the Ashtapadis of Jayadeva are
in this raga.