Laya is term referring to the rhythm in Carnatic music, the south Indian system of classical music. It is major component in a classical music composition, apart from the raga and tala. The word laya is derived from ‘lai,’ which means ‘to move’. In other words, ‘laya’ indicates the movement in music.
In a classical music composition, the laya dictates the tempo. It is slotted into three ranges, namely the slow, medium and the fast.
