How many strings does a sitar have?

Documented sitars carry 18 to 21 metal strings. Six or seven run over the main bridge: melody strings that the player stops on the frets, and chikari strings struck for rhythm. Another 11 to 13 sympathetic strings, the taraf, run beneath the frets over a smaller bridge, are tuned to the notes of the raga and ring in response to the played strings.