Manodharma is a form of improvised South Indian classical Carnatic music. It is created on the spot during the performance, while remaining within the confines of musical grammar, as codified in the raga and/or the tala. Every Carnatic concert has one or many music pieces that showcases the singer's prowess and intellect in the form of Manodharma sangeetham. Often the centerpiece of a Carnatic concert will explore all the five types of manodharma. It serves as an important and integral aspect of Carnatic music.

Based out of manodharma, individual styles are developed. Manodharma has many aspects and performers develop distinct styles based on their musical values, interpretation and understanding. There is ample scope for manodharma when rendering raga alapana, tanam, neraval, pallavi, swaram and also kritis.

There are five improvisational forms that fall under the practice of manodharma in Carnatic Music. They include:

Alapana: A free flowing exploration of melody using specific syllables. A performer does not need to worry about rhythm and beat cycles while engaging in alapana. However the laya, aesthetic and length of the following composition will often determine how the alapna is presented.

Taanam: A free flowing exploration that couples melody with rhythm (though there is no specific beat cycle)

Kalpana Swara: Using swaras (or solfeggio notes) the performer improvises note combinations on the spot, varying the speed of phrases, and must do so with strict adherence to a beat cycle. Kalpana Swara improvisation is usually performed in the middle of the presentation of a composition.

Neraval: The performer focuses on a line of their choice with lyrical depth and performs the line in various ways. This form of improvisation can be done with particular attention to the treatment of words and must stay within the rhythmic beat cycle.

Pallavi, Viruttam, and Shloka: The performer uses poetic lines and improvises on them much like an alapana, without a bound rhythmic structure.