“From Melakarta to Melody: The Beautiful World of Janya Ragas”

Sharanya naidu
Nov 5
3 min read

Carnatic music is a vast and intricate system built on the foundation of ragas — melodic frameworks that give life to compositions and improvisations. While the Melakarta ragas serve as the parent scales, the Janya ragas are their beautiful descendants, formed by selectively modifying, omitting, or ornamenting notes from these parent scales.

Understanding how Janya ragas are classified helps students and vocal learners grasp the immense diversity and creativity within Carnatic music.

What is a Janya Raga?

A Janya raga (derived or offspring raga) is one that originates from a Melakarta raga, but does not follow all its rules. For example, it might skip certain notes, use asymmetrical patterns, or borrow unique phrases that define its identity.Every Janya raga traces its lineage to one of the 72 Melakarta ragas, but possesses its own unique swarasthanas, prayogas (phrases), and rasa (emotional essence).

The Main Classifications of Janya Ragas

Janya ragas are grouped based on their structure and characteristics. Broadly, they fall into the following categories:

1. Upanga Ragas

These are derived from a Melakarta raga without using any foreign notes (anya swaras).They strictly adhere to the parent’s scale and mood but may differ in arohana (ascending) and avarohana (descending) patterns.

Example:

Nattaikurinji (Janya of Harikambhoji)
Shuddha Saveri (Janya of Dhirasankarabharanam)

2. Bhashanga Ragas

These ragas include notes not found in their parent Melakarta. The inclusion of such anya swaras adds unique color and flavor.

Example:

Kambhoji (includes the note nishadam not found in its parent Harikambhoji)
Bhairavi (uses both dhaivatams – chatushruti and shuddha)

3. Vakra Ragas

These are zigzag ragas where the notes do not follow a straight ascending or descending order. Instead, they move in beautifully curved patterns (vakra prayogas), creating a distinctive melodic identity.

Example:

Bilahari
Sahana
Kharaharapriya’s janya, Harikambhoji’s janya ragas often exhibit vakra movement.

4. Audava, Shadava, and Sampurna Ragas

This classification is based on the number of notes used in the ascending and descending scales.

Audava – 5 notes
Shadava – 6 notes
Sampurna – 7 notes

These combinations can vary, leading to types such as:

Audava–Audava (5 notes both ways) – e.g., Mohana
Audava–Sampurna (5 in ascent, 7 in descent) – e.g., Karnataka Devagandhari
Shadava–Audava (6 in ascent, 5 in descent) – e.g., Kedaram

5. Upanga–Bhashanga Overlap

Some ragas are considered hybrids, as they can be interpreted differently by various schools or composers. For instance, a raga might be sung as upanga in one tradition but bhashanga in another due to variations in practice.

🎶 Why Learn Janya Raga Classification?

For vocal learners, understanding these classifications offers several benefits:

It builds aesthetic awareness of how ragas evolve.
It enhances manodharma sangeetham (improvisation), as one learns how to navigate ragas with limited or altered notes.
It helps identify characteristic phrases (raga chaya swaras) that define each raga’s mood.
It deepens one’s appreciation for composer creativity, since many famous kritis are set in Janya ragas like Bhairavi, Kambhoji, or Sahana.

🎵 Final Thoughts

Janya ragas are the creative expressions of Carnatic music — flexible, nuanced, and full of character. While Melakarta ragas provide the grammar, Janya ragas give us the poetry. For students of Carnatic vocal, exploring their classification is like unlocking the secret pathways of melody, where every raga tells its own story in sound.