Melakarta

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Melakarta is the collection of Ragas in Carnatic music. Melakarta ragas are fundamental ragas from which other ragas may be generated. For this reason the melakarta ragas are also known as janaka (parent) ragas. Melakarta ragas are also known as sampoorna ragas as they contain all seven swaras (notes) of the octave in both the ascending and the descending mode. There are 72 melakarta ragas.

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Raga ·Thaat ·Melakarta · Katapayadi sankhya
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Tala · Mudra ·Gharana

Contents

[edit] History

The mela system of ragas was first propounded by Raamamaatya in his work Svaramelakalanidhi c. 1550. He is considered the father of mela system of ragas. Later Venkatamakhi expounded in the 17th century in his work Caturdandi Prakaasikaa a new mela system known today as melakarta. He had made some bold and controversial claims and defined somewhat artificially 6 swaras from the known 12 semitones at that time to arrive 72 melakarta ragas. The controversial parts relate to his double counting of R2 etc. and his exclusive selection of madyamas for which there is no basis. However, today the 72 melakarta ragas have gained significant following, though to this day this system is being criticized. Venkatamakhi was known to be extremely critical of Raamamaatya.

[edit] Determining the Melakartha

A hundred years later than Venkatamakhi's time the Katapayadi sankhya rule came to be applied to the nomenclature of the melakarta ragas. The sankhya associates Sanskrit consonants with digits. The digits corresponding to the first two letters (syllables) of the name of a raga, when reversed, give the index of the raga. Thus the scale of a melakarta raga can be easily derived from its name.

[edit] Melakartha scale

Each melakarta raga has a different scale. The scales are constructed as follows: out of the twelve semitones of the octave S, R1, R2=G1, R3=G2, G3, M1, M2, P, D1, D2=N1, D3=N2, N3, a melakarta raga must necessarily have S and P, one of the M's, two of the R's and G's, and two of the D's and N's. Also, R must necessarily precede G and D must precede N. This gives 2 × 6 × 6 = 72 melakarta ragas. Finding melakartha ragas is a mathematical problem and following a simple set of rules, we can find the corresponding raga and the scale associated with it.

This scheme envisages the lower Sa (Keezh Shadjamam), upper Sa (Mael Shadjamam) and Pa (Panchamam) as fixed swaras, with the Ma (Madhyamam) having two variants and the remaining swaras Ri (Rishabam), Ga (Gandhaaram), Dha (Dhaivatham) and Ni (Nishaadham) as having three variants each. This leads to 72 seven-note combinations referred to as the Melakartha ragas.

A raga which has the same scale as a Melakartha raga (or a subset thereof) is said to be a janya of it (janya means born or derived from). Every raga is the janya of a melakarta raga. Ragas whose notes are found in more than one melakarta raga are assigned janyas based on subjective notions of similarity.

[edit] Table of Melakarta ragas

It can be said that the entire set of 72 melakarta ragas can be divided into two parts. viz.,. suddha Madhyamam and prati Madhyamam ragas. When a given suddha madhyamam raga's M1 is replaced by M2, we get the corresponding Prati Madhyamam raga. See Katapayadi sankhya for more information on how to derive the various swaras of a raga from its Melakarta number.

Mēḷakartā Rāgas
Suddha Madhyamam Prati Madhyamam
No. Raga Scale No. Raga Scale
1.Indu Chakra 7. Rishi Chakra
1 Kanakangi S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N1 37 Salagam S R1 G1 M2 P D1 N1
2 Ratnangi S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N2 38 Jalarnavam S R1 G1 M2 P D1 N2
3 Ganamoorti S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N3 39 Jhalavarali S R1 G1 M2 P D1 N3
4 Vanaspati S R1 G1 M1 P D2 N2 40 Navaneetam S R1 G1 M2 P D2 N2
5 Manavati S R1 G1 M1 P D2 N3 41 Pavani S R1 G1 M2 P D2 N3
6 Tanarupi S R1 G1 M1 P D3 N3 42 Raghupriya S R1 G1 M2 P D3 N3
2. Netra Chakra 8. Vasu Chakra
7 Senavati S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N1 43 Gavambodhi S R1 G2 M2 P D1 N1
8 Hanumatodi S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N2 44 Bhavapriya S R1 G2 M2 P D1 N2
9 Dhenuka S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N3 45 Subhapantuvarali S R1 G2 M2 P D1 N3
10 Natakapriya S R1 G2 M1 P D2 N2 46 Shadvidhamargini S R1 G2 M2 P D2 N2
11 Kokilapriya S R1 G2 M1 P D2 N3 47 Suvarnangi S R1 G2 M2 P D2 N3
12 Roopavati S R1 G2 M1 P D3 N3 48 Divyamani S R1 G2 M2 P D3 N3
3. Agni Chakra 9. Brahma Chakra
13 Gayakapriya S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N1 49 Dhavalambari S R1 G3 M2 P D1 N1
14 Vakulabharanam S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N2 50 Namanarayani S R1 G3 M2 P D1 N2
15 Mayamalavagowla S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N3 51 Kamavardhini S R1 G3 M2 P D1 N3
16 Chakravakam S R1 G3 M1 P D2 N2 52 Ramapriya S R1 G3 M2 P D2 N2
17 Sooryakantam S R1 G3 M1 P D2 N3 53 Gamanasrama S R1 G3 M2 P D2 N3
18 Hatakambari S R1 G3 M1 P D3 N3 54 Viswambhari S R1 G3 M2 P D3 N3
4. Veda Chakra 10. Disi Chakra
19 Jhankaradhwani S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N1 55 Syamalangi S R2 G2 M2 P D1 N1
20 Natabhairavi S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N2 56 Shanmukhapriya S R2 G2 M2 P D1 N2
21 Keeravani S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N3 57 Simhendramadhyamam S R2 G2 M2 P D1 N3
22 Kharaharapriya S R2 G2 M1 P D2 N2 58 Hemavati S R2 G2 M2 P D2 N2
23 Gourimanohari S R2 G2 M1 P D2 N3 59 Dharmavati S R2 G2 M2 P D2 N3
24 Varunapriya S R2 G2 M1 P D3 N3 60 Neetimati S R2 G2 M2 P D3 N3
5. Bana Chakra 11. Rudra Chakra
25 Mararanjani S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N1 61 Kantamani S R2 G3 M2 P D1 N1
26 Charukesi S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 62 Rishabhapriya S R2 G3 M2 P D1 N2
27 Sarasangi S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N3 63 Latangi S R2 G3 M2 P D1 N3
28 Harikambhoji S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N2 64 Vachaspati S R2 G3 M2 P D2 N2
29 Dheerasankarabharanam S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 65 Mechakalyani S R2 G3 M2 P D2 N3
30 Naganandini S R2 G3 M1 P D3 N3 66 Chitrambhari S R2 G3 M2 P D3 N3
6. Ritu Chakra 12. Aditya Chakra
31 Yagapriya S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N1 67 Sucharitra S R3 G3 M2 P D1 N1
32 Ragavardhini S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N2 68 Jyotiswarupini S R3 G3 M2 P D1 N2
33 Gangeyabhusani S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N3 69 Dhatuvardhini S R3 G3 M2 P D1 N3
34 Vagadheeswari S R3 G3 M1 P D2 N2 70 Nasikabhusani S R3 G3 M2 P D2 N2
35 Sulini S R3 G3 M1 P D2 N3 71 Kosalam S R3 G3 M2 P D2 N3
36 Chalanata S R3 G3 M1 P D3 N3 72 Rasikapriya S R3 G3 M2 P D3 N3

These Melakartha Ragas are further divided into two types. They are:

  • General Melakartha Ragas.
  • Pratimadhyama Melakartha Ragas.

The General Melakartha Raagas start from numbers 1 to 36. The Pratimadhyama Raagas start from 37 to 72. From these Melarkatha Raagas, the Janya Raagas are derived. The Janya Raagas which are derived from these raagas are about 252 raagas. Thus, these are the Melarkatha Raagas.

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