In Carnatic music, a Jaathi denotes the number of matras (beats) within a laghu, which is a constituent part of a tala. A Sankeerna Jaathi is defined as a laghu comprising 9 aksharas.
Types of Jaathis and their Akshara Counts:
Tisra Jaathi: 3 aksharas
Chaturasra Jaathi: 4 aksharas
Khanda Jaathi: 5 aksharas
Misra Jaathi: 7 aksharas
Sankeerna Jaathi: 9 aksharas
Application:
Sankeerna Jaathi is infrequently employed owing to its intricate nature, yet it enables sophisticated rhythmic complexity in advanced musical pieces.