Melakarta

Mēḷakartā is a collection of fundamental musical scales (ragas) in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). Mēḷakartā ragas are parent ragas (hence known as janaka ragas) from which other ragas may be derived. A melakarta raga is sometimes referred as mela, karta or sampurna as well, though the latter usage is inaccurate, as a sampurna raga need not be a melakarta (take the raga Bhairavi, for example).

In Hindustani music the thaat is the rough equivalent of Melakartā. There are 10 thaats in Hindustani music, though the commonly accepted melakarta scheme has 72 ragas.