What is the Sitar?

photo by Diana Waldron

Brief History

The sitar is an ancient instrument coming from North India. It was invented by the musician & poet Amir Khusro during the 14th century. The main inspiration behind the sitar was the Tritantri Veena (three-stringed veena). In the beginning, it had only three strings, which is why it was named Sehtar (Persian for three-stringed).