Melakarta ragas are parent scales with all seven swaras, while Janya ragas are derived from them, sometimes omitting notes or using different variations. Melakarta ragas define structure, while Janya ragas provide flexibility.
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In Carnatic music, Melakarta ragas are parent ragas with all seven swaras (notes) in both ascending (Arohanam) and descending (Avarohanam) order. There are 72 Melakarta ragas that form the basis for all other ragas.
Janya ragas are derived from Melakarta ragas but may omit certain notes (pentatonic, hexatonic) or use additional ornamentations (gamakas). For example, Shankarabharanam (Melakarta) gives rise to Kalyani (Janya Raga).