The name Tilak Kamod is, in a way, deceptive because the raga in circulation in different gharanas does not have the phrasing identifiable with raga Kamod which is a raga well established in the khayal genre. The raga is obviously from an older tradition as we have dhrupads, dhamars, compactly built jhaptals as well as chota khayals in it. What is more interesting but not intriguing, is the fact that the raga also has many compositions from the light-classical family of forms such as thumris and dadras. Two features of the raga emerge from this fact. Firstly, it clearly has an inherent capacity to express a wide variety of emotions. Secondly, it also possesses qualities, which meet demands of many musical forms. Therefore Tilak Kamod has rightly been placed high on the list of musically important ragas. It has a structure consisting of intricate ascending and descending moving phrases. This feature certainly makes intellectual demands on the artist. On the other hand, the raga spans a wide spectrum of emotions. Thus compositions in it express intense devotion, serious/grave poise of a philosopher, contented or fulfilled or tremulously expectant love, subtle suggestive eroticism or even a heroic resolve of a personality of Himalayan stature! Expectably, tempi inherent to the raga are extremely varied- from slow to fast. It also asks to be explored in all three octaves. The time span allotted to it is late night-early morning. However, on account of the variety of forms in which it is rendered, this norm is flexibly applied. No specific season is associated with it.