The taus, also called the mayuri veena, is a stringed instrument played with a bow. It is a type of veena used in North India and has a sound box shaped like a peacock, which is called a mayuri. The instrument is held with the neck facing the bow. Written records about the mayuri veena appear in the Sanskrit play Malavikagnimitra, created by the poet Kalidasa between the 4th and 5th centuries CE. The word "taus" comes from Persian and means "peacock," while "mayura" is the Sanskrit word for "peacock."

Origin story

Bhai Avtar Singh, a famous taus player and ragi who practiced the traditional way of singing kirtan, shares the story of how the Taus were created in the following quote:

Relation to other instruments

The dilruba and the esraj are strongly influenced by the taus, which came into existence before them.

According to a traditional story, the dilruba was created by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, as a lighter version of the taus so the Sikh army could carry it while riding horses.

The esraj is a modern version of the dilruba.

Construction

The main feature of the taus is its body, which is shaped like a peacock. It is played using a bow made from horsehair. Four metal strings are located above the frets, and these are the main strings. Only the leftmost of these strings is played with the bow.

There are several sympathetic strings between the frets and the neck. These strings help create a fuller sound. They are tuned based on the raag being played, similar to how the sitar is tuned.

In the media

Avtar Singh played the taus on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme on 18 September 2024 to mark the addition of five Indian string instruments into the UK's eight-grade music exam system.