Western Vs Indian Classical music

Searched for this topic a lot on the Internet. But the most common answers are "exam oriented". Jumping to the the technical parts like harmony Vs melody, sonatas Vs Raags, common terms in Western classical music, their equivalents in Indian classical. At the end, you end up knowing a lot, but understanding nothing.

What is the 'nature' of these two forms of music? What do they cater to? What are their 'characteristics'? So have tried to capture my own understanding as best I could.