Tamil musicology

[Satyanad Kichenassamy]

With reference to this thread, would it be possible to outline the
arguments used to arrive at the new identification of paN intaLam,
puRaniirmai and cAtAri in particular? Specific issues related to this are:

(1) is there a paN equivalent to mAyamALava-gauLa at all?

(2) is mOhanam the paN which comes about in the well-known episode from
TiruviLaiyATaRpurANam? 

By the way, to answer N. Ganesan's query, the varieties of yAzh have been
described in yAzh nUl (which was referred to already by S. Pichumani) and
which contains several pictures. It does look like a small harp (again,
see this book for details). It appears to have been used as an
accompaniment and is attested in several places (I can't resist quoting

KuRaL 66:  kuzhal-ini ti-yAzh-ini t-enpa-tam makkaL
           mazhalai-c-col kElA tavar
         
         They say that the kuzhal is sweet, that the yAzh is sweet,
         who have not heard the faltering words of their (own) children)

It seems to have been used concurrently with the `viiNai' (presumably an
*earlier form* of the modern viiNai) and its disappearance has been
attributed to changes in ornamentation and other reasons.

                                      S. Kichenassamy
                                      kichenas at math.umn.edu