Valaji or Valachi is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a pentatonic scale (audava or owdava rāgam, which means "of 5"). It is a janya rāgam (derived scale), as it does not have all the seven swaras (musical notes). The equivalent of Valaji in Hindustani music is Kalāvati.^[1][2]

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2020)

Valaji is a symmetric rāgam that does not contain rishabham or madhyamam. It is a pentatonic scale (audava-audava rāgam^[1][2] in Carnatic music classification). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārohaṇa : S G₃ P D₂ N₂ Ṡ^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• avarohaṇa : Ṡ N₂ D₂ P G₃ S^{[lower-alpha 2]}

(the notes used in this scale are shadjam, antara gandharam, panchamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham and kaisiki nishadham)

Valaji is considered a janya rāgam of Chakravakam, the 16th Melakarta rāgam, though it can be derived from other melakarta rāgams, Harikambhoji, Vagadheeswari, Ramapriya, Vachaspati or Nasikabhooshani, by dropping both rishabham and madhyamam. Since Chakravakam is lowest in ordinal number among these 6 melakarta scales, Valaji is associated with it.

Valaji is a pleasing scale, but has only a few compositions in classical music. It has been used to score film music as well. Here are some popular kritis composed in Valaji.

• Jalandhara supithasthe japa kusuma bhasure by Muthiah Bhagavatar
• Santatam Ninne by G. N. Balasubramaniam
• Sri Gayatri, by Saint Gnanananda Tirtha (Sri Ogirala Veera Raghava Sarma)
• Tândava Priyâ by Kalyani Varadarajan
• Dari Yavudayya, Nachike Padabeda by Purandara dasa
• Padhame thunai by Papanasham Shivan

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.