Sitar

The sitar is a stringed instrument that is played by plucking. It is prevalent in Hindustani classical music and has been around since the Middle Ages. It uses sympathetic strings which is common in Indian musical instruments. It also has a gourd resonating cavity and an extensive hollow neck.

The sitar came into the western musical industry when Pandit Ravi Shankar used it in his works. Subsequently, The Rolling Stones used the sitar in the song Paint It, Black.

Origin

The sitars originated from the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent during the late Mogul era. Its predecessors, the Persian lutes, had been used in the Mogul courts for hundreds of years. According to the Sangeet Sudarshana, the sitar was invented by Amir Khusru in the 1700's. He named this instrument based on the Persian setar.

There are plenty of theories about the source of the sitar. Regrettably, most of these are historically inaccurate and hence impossible.