Jalatarangam meaning "water waves" consists of 18 porcelain cups of distinct sonorousness arranged in a semicircle before the performer. The empty cups give notes of different pitch. Water is poured into the cups and played.

    This is called Tavus in the North. In shape and construction, it is the same as the Sitar, but has a peacock like resonator and the instrument is played with a bow. The frets are movable. The body and the stem are painted like that of the peacock. Underneath the frets there are a number of sympathetic strings. The small ivory pegs round which these sympathetic strings pass before reaching the tuning pegs are seen as white dots on the finger-board in the figure. The small tuning pegs for these sympathetic strings are seen on the side of the stem. There is a parchment belly over which an ivory bridge is placed. The instrument has a soft mellow tone. The instrument is held in an oblique position - the neck resting on the left shoulder and the legs of the peacock resting on the ground and played. The neck of the peacock is easily detachable from the body. The instrument is finely ornamented with ivory. On account of   the peacock-like resonator, the instrument is also called Mayuri, Peacock sitar and Peacock fiddle.