Bilaval (thaat)

{{for|the raga of the same name|Bilaval}}

{{Hindustani Classical Music}}

File:Brooklyn Museum - Bilavala Ragini - 2.jpg

Bilaval or Bilawal ({{IAST3|Bilāval}}) is the most basic of all the ten thaats of Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent.{{cite book |last1=Bor |first1=Joep |last2=Rao |first2=Suvarnalata |title=The Raga Guide: A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas |date=1999 |publisher=Nimbus Records with Rotterdam Conservatory of Music |isbn=9780954397609 |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCnoMgEACAAJ |language=en}} All the swaras in the thaat are shuddha or all swaras in the natural scale. Bilaval as a raga is not rendered these days however a small variation of the raga called Alhaiya Bilaval is very common. This is a morning raga and its pictorial descriptions create a rich, sensuous ambience in consonance with its performance.