Creative genius of the many vaggeyakaras (musician-composer) in Carnatic music is amazing - especially amongst the Trinity composers, Shyama Sastri, Thyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar. Notably, Thyagaraja’s greatness as a composer is reflected not only by the voluminous number of compositions, but also many kritis set in uncommon ragas, several of them are his own creations. Thyagaraja is one of the vaggeyakaras, whose has composed maximum number of kritis in rare and uncommon ragas (about 40). These are the only kritis in these rare and uncommon ragas. Quite a number of kritis of Muthuswami Dikshitar are also set in rather uncommon ragas, which will run into about 20 or so. Shyama Sastri is credited to have composed a kriti in a new raga-Chintamani. These compositions are the main source for us to recognize sancharas of these rare ragas.
Suddha Mukhari is one of the rarest janyas of Mela ragam (1) Kanakangi. Though the name contains a Mukhari, this raga does not have any relation with the Kharaharapriya janya raga. How this raga got such a name also is unknown; only that all the notes used are Suddha (basic) notes. Aroh: S R1 M1 P D1 S; Avaroh: S N1 D1 P M1 G1 R1 S It is seen that among the Trinities, only Muthuswami Dikshithar seems to have has composed in this raga; that also only one krithi, “Muraharana Mukundena”, the lyrics of which:
pallavi mura harENa mukundEna kESavEna rakshitO(a)ham
(samashTi caraNam) purandarAdi pUjita muni pungava sannutEna (madhyama kAla sAhityam) parama bhAgavata praNata - prasiddha guru guha nutEna parama “Suddha mukhAri rAga” tOshitEna varENa
The last line in the charanam confirming the ragamudra. Also, unlike many of Dikshithar krithis, this is not on any Kshetra or deity; but on Lord Vishnu only.