What is "ragmala"

Ragmala or Ragamala (pronounced rāgmālā) is the title of a composition of twelve verses, running into sixty lines that names various ragas which appears in most copies of the Guru Granth Sahib after the compositions of Guru Arjun Dev entitled "Mundaavani" (The Royal Seal). In many of the older copies of the Guru Granth Sahib, Ragmala appears at the end after other compositions which added by various scribes but later deemed unauthorised by Sikh Panth (nation).

The title literally means a 'garland of Ragas, or musical melodies'. "Mala" means "garland", while "Raga" is a "musical composition or mode", which has also given rise to the series of Ragamala paintings. This list differs according to the author and the music school it is based upon. Thus there exists a number of such lists in the music text books of India.