What is Alankar in Hindustani Classical Music?

The meaning of Alankar is ornament.
Like ornament increase physical grace, in the same way with Alankar there is a grace in singing.

Alankar is also called as Palta.
In the initial stage of learning Hindustani Classical Music students are primarily taught Alankars,
because without Alankar student cannot gain good swar knowledge and neither can get success in Indian classical music.
With Alankar we also get help in Raag Vistar.
A raag can also be decorated with the help of Alankar.
Taan etc are also made with the help of Alankar.
Therefore Alankar’s are practiced to gain swar gyan (knowledge) and to improve vocal abilities.

Alankars are decided phrases of swaras which covers whole saptak,
Alankars are made with Varna combinations for example we will take a Varna combination (Sa Re Ga). Now to make Alankar we will take this Varna as step.

If we start making Alankar with the first step as (Sa Re Ga) then the second step will be (Re Ga Ma) and then the third step will be (Ga Ma Pa) and it goes on till it ends at Taar Saptak Sa to complete it Aaroh.
similarly the first step for the avroh will be (Ṡ ni dha) and the second step will be (Ni Dha Pa) and then the third step will be (Dha Pa Ma) and it gose on till it ends Madhya Saptak Sa.

In this way 100s and 1000s of Alankars can be made.
Alankars can also be made by including Komal and Tivra Swars but we have to be careful that we have to use only those swaras that are present in that particular Raag, for the Raag which we are making the Alankar.

Alankar

Alankar means "ornament" in Sanskrit and mass both vocal and instrumental music to refer to different embellishment techniques used in Hindustani classical music is used in the context of Classical music used in decking are some common types of meend-, ear tones (grace note (a note in the next with a fluid way of merging a technique of singing notes there are many different types of meend)-grace-notes is being performed using the melody), movement (swing select a gentleman on the specific notes used,), Gamaka (one to two or three heavily to and fro different notes include oscillation) on a cluster, the khatka/gitkari (depending an increasingly vocal distinctly yet lightly notes) and murki of (a group of notes is an even lighter and more subtle singing)

Raga

RAGAS

A Raga is a combination of sounds or swaras having qualities that give pleasure to the listener. Every Raga has a peculiar _quality of its own. To be acquainted with Ragas, a musician should bear in mind the following points :

1.   Ragas must belong to a Thaat.

2.   At least five notes are essential for a Raga.

3.   In a Raga the melody is very essential.

4.   A Raga must have its own ascent, descent (Aroha and avaroha) and fixed notes (Nadi & Sammdi).

5.   The Sa Swara (C note) is the same note (fixed) in every Raga, and both Ma & Pa are not to be omitted at the same time.

Parts of combination of a raga

There are 4 distinguished parts of a raga/composition/ song.

1.    Sthayi                  First part (face) or introduction.

2.    Antara               Second part or body.

3.    Sanchari               Combination of notes of sthayi & Antra

4.    Abhog                  Some notes of the combination
                       played in the upper octave.