It is a popularly held belief in Indian classical music that each Raga has a particular period of the day/night in which it appears to be at the height of its melodic beauty and splendor. To an extent, this is also supported by some credible research. This connection has also to do with the subtle changes that our own body and mind undergo on a daily cycle. And therfore, one of the characteristics of Indian classical music is the assignment of a recommended time-of-day/night and/or season for a Raga .
The 24-hour period is divided into 8 3-hour Prahars as follows:
| Name | Start | End | Period | Beat |
| Early Dawn, Dawn | 04:00 AM | 07:00 AM | Night | 4 |
| Daybreak, Early Morning, Morning | 07:00 AM | 10:00 AM | Day | 1 |
| Late Morning, Noon, Early Afternoon | 10:00 AM | 01:00 PM | Day | 2 |
| Afternoon, Late Afternoon | 01:00 PM | 04:00 PM | Day | 3 |
| Twilight, Dusk, Sunset | 04:00 PM | 07:00 PM | Day | 4 |
| Evening, Late Evening | 07:00 PM | 10:00 PM | Night | 1 |
| Night, Midnight | 10:00 PM | 01:00 AM | Night | 2 |
| Late Night | 01:00 AM | 04:00 AM | Night | 3 |
Here is a list of Hindustani Ragas with suggested listening times and/or seasons. Recommended recording(s)/composition(s) are linked to eMusic, which seems to have a rather good collection of Indian Classical music.
| Raag | Time/Prahar | Season | Suggested Recording(s) |
| Abhogi | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Adana | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Ahir Bhairav | Daybreak | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Alahiya Bilawal | Late Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Asaveri | Late Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bageshwari | Midnight | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bahar | Midnight | Spring (Anytime) | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) |
| Basant | ??? | Spring (Anytime) | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) |
| Behag | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bhairavi | Morning | K. L. Saigal (Vocal) Street Singer (OST, Year 1938). Thumri. Pt. Bhimsen Joshi (Vocal) Thumri. |
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| Bhatiyar | Early Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bhimpalasi | Early Afternoon | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bhupal Todi | Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bhupali | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bibhas | Daybreak | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Bilaskhani Todi | Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Brindabani Sarang | Early Afternoon | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Chandrakauns | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Chayanat | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Darbari Kanada | Midnight | Ustad Vilayat Khan (Sitar), HMV EASD. 1332 (Year 1968). | |
| Desh | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Deshi | Late Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Dhani | Anytime | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Durga | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Gaud Malhar | ??? | Monsoon/Rain (Anytime) | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) |
| Gaud Sarang | Early Afternoon | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Gorakh Kalyan | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Gujari Todi | Late Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Gunakri | Daybreak | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Hamir | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Hansadhvani | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Hindol | Past Midnight/Pre-dawn | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Jaijaivanti | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Jaunpuri | Late Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Jhinjhoti | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Jog | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Jogiya | Daybreak | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Kafi | Midnight | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Kamod | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Kedar | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Khamaj | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Kirwani | Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Lalit | Before Sunrise | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Madhuvanti | Late Evening | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Malkauns | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Manj Khamaj | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Maru Bihag | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Marwa | Sunset | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Megh | ??? | Monsoon/Rain (Anytime) | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) |
| Mian Ki Malhar | Midnight | Monsoon/Rain (Anytime) | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) |
| Mian Ki Todi | Late Morning | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Multani | Afternoon | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Nayaki Kanada | Midnight | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Patdip | Afternoon | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Pilu | Anytime | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Puriya | Sunset | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Puriya Dhanashri | Sunset | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Puriya Kalyan | Evening | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Purvi | Sunset | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Rageshri | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Ramkali | Daybreak | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Shahana | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Shankara | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Shri | Early Evening | Winter | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) |
| Shuddh Kalyan | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Shuddh Sarang | Early Afternoon | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Shyam Kalyan | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Sindhura | Anytime | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Sohini | Before Sunrise | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Sur Malhar | ??? | Monsoon/Rain (Anytime) | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) |
| Tilak Kamod | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Tilang | Late Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |
| Yaman | Early Night | Comments Welcome (anand@igesys.com) | |