The Sitar

Lore & Background

The sitar was invented in the 18th century, with modern scholarship identifying Khusrau Khan, a figure of the Mughal Empire, as its inventor. According to most historians, he developed it from the setar, an Iranian instrument of Abbasid or Safavid origin. An earlier tradition attributing the invention to the 13th-century poet Amir Khusrow is considered discredited by scholars, as no record from that period uses the name 'sitar'. The instrument's modern shape emerged in the late Mughal Empire, with a wider neck, gourd bowl, metal frets, and bone nut. Masid Khan added two more strings, and the modern seven-string sitar was created by Allauddin Khan. Sympathetic strings were first added by Imdad Khan. The earliest compositional style for the sitar emerged in the mid-18th century, attributed to Firoz Khan, son or nephew of Khusrau Khan.

Reader's Guide

The sitar's significance lies in its central role in Hindustani classical music and its global popularization through Ravi Shankar from the late 1950s. The advent of psychedelic culture in the mid-to-late 1960s set a trend for its use in Western popular music, appearing on tracks by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, and many others. The instrument features movable frets (pardā or thaat), two bridges (badaa goraa and chota goraa), and a distinctive timbre created by the jawari effect of the rounded bridge. Construction materials include teak or tun wood, calabash gourds for resonators, and bridges of deer horn, ebony, or camel bone. Two popular modern styles exist: the fully decorated 'instrumental style' (Ravi Shankar style) and the 'gayaki' style (Vilayat Khan style). Tuning varies by school, tradition, and personal preference, with the main playing string typically tuned a perfect fourth above the tonic. The instrument is balanced between the player's left hand and right knee.

Did You Know?

• The word 'sitar' is derived from the Persian 'sehtar', meaning 'three-stringed'.
• Sympathetic strings on the sitar were first added by Imdad Khan.
• The modern seven-string sitar was created by Allauddin Khan.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

- Some believe the sitar was invented by the 13th-century poet Amir Khusrow, but modern scholarship has discredited this, as no period record uses the name "sitar"; the actual inventor is Khusrau Khan, a figure of the 18th-century Mughal Empire. - A common misconception is that the sitar has a fixed number of strings; in fact, it can have 18, 19, 20, or 21 strings, with 6 or 7 played strings and the remainder sympathetic strings.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

The sitar endures because it is not merely an instrument but a bridge between cultures—its evolution from Persian origins and refinement under Mughal and Indian masters reflects centuries of cross-cultural exchange. Its global reach, sparked by Ravi Shankar’s performances in the mid-20th century, demonstrates how a single instrument can carry the depth of a classical tradition while inspiring musicians and listeners worldwide.