72 Melakarta ragas organized into 12 Chakras — each containing 6 parent ragas sharing the same Rishabha and Gandhara swaras. First 6 use Shuddha Madhyama (M1); last 6 use Prati Madhyama (M2).
| # | Chakra | Meaning | Ragas | Madhyama | R & G | Notable Ragas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☽ Indu | Moon | 1–6 | M1 | R1 G1 | |
| 2 | 👁 Netra | Eye / Two | 7–12 | M1 | R1 G2 | |
| 3 | 🔥 Agni | Fire / Three | 13–18 | M1 | R1 G3 | |
| 4 | 📖 Veda | Knowledge / Four | 19–24 | M1 | R2 G2 | |
| 5 | 🏹 Bana | Arrow / Five | 25–30 | M1 | R2 G3 | |
| 6 | 🌿 Ritu | Season / Six | 31–36 | M1 | R3 G3 | |
| 7 | 🧘 Rishi | Sage / Seven | 37–42 | M2 | R1 G1 | |
| 8 | 💎 Vasu | Wealth / Eight | 43–48 | M2 | R1 G2 | |
| 9 | 🌟 Brahma | Creator / Nine | 49–54 | M2 | R1 G3 | |
| 10 | 🧭 Disi | Direction / Ten | 55–60 | M2 | R2 G2 | |
| 11 | ⚡ Rudra | Destroyer / Eleven | 61–66 | M2 | R2 G3 | |
| 12 | ☀️ Aditya | Sun / Twelve | 67–72 | M2 | R3 G3 |
R1 G1 M1 P (D varies, N varies)
R1 G2 M1 P (D varies, N varies)
R1 G3 M1 P (D varies, N varies)
R2 G2 M1 P (D varies, N varies)
R2 G3 M1 P (D varies, N varies)
R3 G3 M1 P (D varies, N varies)
R1 G1 M2 P (D varies, N varies)
R1 G2 M2 P (D varies, N varies)
R1 G3 M2 P (D varies, N varies)
R2 G2 M2 P (D varies, N varies)
R2 G3 M2 P (D varies, N varies)
R3 G3 M2 P (D varies, N varies)
The word Chakra (Sanskrit: चक्र) means "wheel" or "cycle." In the Melakarta system, each chakra groups six parent ragas that share the same Rishabha (R) and Gandhara (G) swaras. The six ragas within each chakra differ only in their Dhaivata (D) and Nishada (N) swaras, which cycle through three combinations: D1N1, D1N2, D1N3, D2N2, D2N3, D3N3.
The 12 chakras are named after cosmological concepts: Indu (Moon, 1), Netra (Eye, 2), Agni (Fire, 3), Veda (Knowledge, 4), Bana (Arrow, 5), Ritu (Season, 6), Rishi (Sage, 7), Vasu (Wealth, 8), Brahma (Creator, 9), Disi (Direction, 10), Rudra (Destroyer, 11), and Aditya (Sun, 12). The number of the chakra, multiplied by the position within the chakra (1–6), gives the Melakarta number — a mnemonic known as the Katapayadi system.