Pann () is the melodic mode used by the Tamil people in their music since the ancient times. The ancient pans over centuries evolved first into a pentatonic scale. But from the earliest times, Tamil Music is heptatonic and known as Ezhisai (ஏழிசை). Panns in literature There are several references to music and Pants in the ancient pre-Sangam and Sangam literature starting from the earliest known work Tholkappiyam (500 BCE). Among Sangam literature, Mathuraikkanci refers to women singing sevvazhi pain to invoke the mercy of God during childbirth. In Tolkappiyam, the five landscapes of the Sangam literature had each an associated Pann, each describing the mood of the song associated with that landscape. Among the numerous pans that find mention in the ancient Tamil literature are, Ambal Pann, which is suitable to be played on the flute, sevvazhi pain on the Yazh (lute), Nottiram and Sevvazhi expressing pathos, the captivating Kurinji pain and the invigorating Murudappann. The Sangam landscape was classified into five regions to describe the mood of the poem and to describe the intangibles of human emotions. While describing life and romance, the poets employed the background of the natural landscape and used the pann specific to that landscape to provide the mood. The (seaside) landscape, which is employed to convey the grief of separation of lovers had the associated sevvazhi pann expressing pathos. Malaipatukatam mentions Viraliyar singing Kurinjipann when offering worship to the deities of the mountainous regions. It also refers to Virali singing Marudappann before singing the eulogies of kings. Malaippadukadam also refers to the people trying to overcome their fatigue by singing Marudappann after working in the fields. There is a very interesting reference to Pants and birds/insects in Perumpanarruppatai. It says that the beetles liked to listen to Kurinjipann played on Vilyazh thinking it to be the voice of its own kith and kin, while they hated to listen to Palaipann played on the flute. There are also references to the Panar taking delight in mastering the Naivalam pann. Evolution of Panns In the post-Sangam period, between the third and the fifth centuries CE, Tamil music evolved to a higher sophistication. Silappatikaram, written around the fifth century CE, describes music based on logical, systematic and scientific calculations in the arrangements of the dancers on the stage to represent the notes and panns. silappatikaram contains several chapters dedicated to music and dance, of which the