Dwi-Madhyama Panchama Varja ragas is a melakarta scheme of Carnatic music of South India, mentioned in the Ashtotharasata (108) mela scheme. In this scheme the regular 72 mela ragas are expanded to 108, by including the possible 36 vikritha panchama melas. The 36 additional melakartas take both the madhyamas and do not have the panchama, in which the prathi madhyama is sung in place of panchama. (Source: wiki)
S.Kalyanaraman came up with this classification. The name of the mela can be easily found out by looking at the first word. All these ragas have the suffix “Sri”. Like wise the scale for all the 36 ragas can be easily derived.
Nomenclature given by Tanjavur S. Kalyanaraman is as follows :
- Kanakangi – Kanagasri
- Rathnangi – Rathnasri
- Ganamurthy – Ganasri
- Vanaspathy – Vanasri
- Manavathi – Manasri
- Thanarupi – Thanasri
- Senavati – Sunadhasri
- Hanuma Thodi – Hanumasri
- Dhenuka – Dhensri
- Natakapriya – Natakasri and so on...
A famous writer from Kerala, Attoor Krishna Pisharadi also noticed the possibility of these ‘dwi madhyama’ ragas. He explained these ragas in his book “Sangeetha Chandrika”. He also created a new “Mela Chakram’ including the ‘dwi madhyama ragas’. He renamed all melaragas according to the KADAPAYADI system. According to him, ‘Dheera Sankarabharanam’ is ‘Ragothamsam’. He wrote Lakshana Geethas for all these mela ragas.
The system is also popularized by Dr BMK with his composition is the Raga Rohini ” Maamava Gaana lola”
Scale: Rohini
S R1 G3 M1 M2 D2 N3 S
S N3 D2 M2 M1 G3 R1 S
S N3 D2 M2 M1 G3 R1 S
It has been told this system existed quite long ago. A similar system that cam after this into limelight was ” Sannkeerna Mela Paddathi”. This was revised and put on papers by prof Sambamoorthy. The concept is of combining the melas of 1 and 2 on the aarohanam and avarohanam respectively. So the raga list would go like Kanaka-Kanaka, Kanaka-Ratna, Kanaka -Gana, Kanaka-Maana etc. thereby giving 72 X 72 raagas.
The sankeerna mela paddathi has been used by Dr Bmk in his composition ” Nava Mohana” set to the raga Manorama.
Scale: Manorama
S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S
S N3 D1 P M2 G3 R1 S
S N3 D1 P M2 G3 R1 S
