Nalinakanti

The scales of Nalinakanti are as follows :

Aarohanam (Ascending) :  S   G3  R2  M1  P   N3  S’
Avarohanam (Descending) :  S’  N3  P  M  G3  R2  S

It is a janya raga, derived from Sarasangi, which is 27th on the Melakarta scale (below).

An alternate view sees it as a derivation of Shankharabharanam. The Aarohanam has a vakra prayoga; the avarohanam is the same as Kedaram though they sound very different.

There are a only a limited number of compositions in this raga. Tyagaraja’s Manavinalakincha is the most popular. Other popular ones are Ni Padame Gati by GNB  and Lalgudi Jayaraman’s varnam.

Note : The 12 notes in the octave are named as below. Please note that C is used as Sa for the sake of simplicity as the scale is relative in Carnatic Music. Also note that the scales paint only a superficial picture of the raga as the gamakas (ornamentations) are a very important part of a raga.