
The 3rd sampUrna mEla. A straightforward, linear rAgA belonging to the first chakra -- the Indu chakra (the 72 mElAs are grouped into groups of 6 called chakras, the names of which all have to do with the chakra number and "indu" here refers to the moon, of which there is only one) -- the scale of gAnamUrti goes like so :
Aro : S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N3 S
Avaro : S N3 D1 P M1 G1 R1 S - all the rAgAs of the Indu chakra have R1 and G1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7st24k5mnk
The vivAdi effect of G1 tends to be very soothing and meditative along with the R1. The combination of this with and D1 N3 comes together very distinctly and coherently. The rAgA, like all the sampUrna mElas can be elaborated in all octaves. The G1 can be played plain, but also lends itself well to a G1-M1-G1 oscillation. The G1 is the most significant note here.
The most well known kriti (which unfortunately falls under the list of suspicious kritis attributed to Thyagaraja, but the song is too beautiful to ignore just for that) has the rAgA name in it - gAnamUrtE Sri krshNa vENu gAnalOla - and no one better to play it than Lalgudi Jayaraman, who gave his singular romantic touches and gamakas to it.
The violin veena venu recording of it is my all time favourite, but not finding it, here's the maestro playing it solo : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnGb76oc7jY
It was also a Maharajapuram speciality ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvAq72wRWSM
And of course, where there is mElakarta, there is S Rajam and Koteeswara Iyer (mA madhura) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKCDzv0U8uk
And then there's the grand old doctor himself (the other "naughty Krishna") : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AgzDpDfBAY