The jhala is the brilliant finale of the instrumental sequence. After the meditative alap and the pulsing jor, the jhala erupts into speed: the player rapidly strums the high drone strings (chikari) between the melody notes, producing a dazzling, cascading texture.
It is a moment of pure momentum and excitement, the raag now flying. On sitar and sarod the jhala is a signature thrill; the technique also appears within fast gats and in the climaxes of dhrupad-style been playing.
The full arc — alap, jor, jhala — carries the listener from stillness to exhilaration, all within a single raag.