--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-in/instrument/esraj' title: Esraj author: name: rajeevk url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-in/user/0f961cccc99524ed' date: '2026-06-21T00:13:33+00:00' updated: '2026-10-25T10:42:58+00:00' type: product summary: 'The esraj is a bowed, fretted lute with sympathetic strings, played upright with a horsehair bow in Hindustani music, Rabindra Sangeet and Bengali devotional…' tags: - Chordophones - Esraj image: 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2026-02/Violin-Instrument-KalaSudha.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=tq_fXePi' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2026-02/Violin-Instrument-KalaSudha.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=tq_fXePi' 'image:secure_url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2026-02/Violin-Instrument-KalaSudha.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=tq_fXePi' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': Violin-Instrument --- [ Instruments ](/en-in/instruments) Esraj 1. [ Home ](/en-in) 2. 3. [ Instruments ](/en-in/instruments) 4. 5. Esraj Chordophones Chordophone / bowed lute Advanced North India (Bengal and Punjab; developed in the 19th century; earliest dated example Calcutta, 1877) Bowed & fretted Devotional voice # Esraj (एसराज) The esraj is a bowed, fretted lute with sympathetic strings, played upright with a horsehair bow in Hindustani music, Rabindra Sangeet and Bengali devotional traditions. Price Range £400 - £3,500 Student esraj instruments from Indian workshops start around £400. Mid-range instruments with better wood selection and goatskin quality cost £800 to £1,500. Concert instruments built to order by specialist makers in Kolkata or Varanasi cost £2,000 to £3,500. [ Request Quote ](/en-in/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=367) ## Explore the discipline Meet the musical tradition, its practitioners and ways to learn. - [ Esraj · Hindustani Classical ](/en-in/instrumental/hindustani-classical/esraj) ## History & Origins ### What is the esraj? The **esraj** is the bowed, fretted string instrument of Bengal and Hindustani classical music, the main accompanying voice of **Rabindra Sangeet**, and ours suits the singer's accompanist and the solo player. A horsehair bow, the **gaz**, draws a tone that sustains through long phrases without a plucked string's decay. Four main strings, two or three chikari drones and 11 to 15 sympathetic strings give it a layered sound, the melody sounding over the ring of the sympathetic strings. ### Tone, frets and bow A goatskin soundtable over the wooden body, with the bridge on a leather strap, gives the warm, nasal tone. Tied metal frets give the left hand a fixed reference for steady intonation through a long performance, where a [sarangi](/instrument/sarangi) player finds each note by ear; they limit the slides a sarangi allows. Bow speed and finger pressure draw **meend** and gamak, and a note can hold through seconds of melodic motion. ### Where it is played The esraj accompanies khayal, thumri and bhajan singers and plays solo. In Bengal it is the instrument of Rabindra Sangeet and the ashram music of the Ramakrishna Mission and Brahmo Samaj; players in Punjab use it in Sikh music. Its solo line runs from Bishnupur to the **Santiniketan gharana** at Visva-Bharati. Start on one of our [esraj](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/esraj) study paths, or compare the [dilruba](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/dilruba). The esraj belongs with the [sarangi](/instrument/sarangi) and the dilruba, its closest relative, with the same skin soundtable and tied frets. All three share the bow, sympathetic strings and jawari, and differ in body, frets and musical home. The esraj is tied to Bengal as the dilruba is to Punjab. In the Gaya gharana Hari Singh and his son Hanuman Das played it around the mid-19th century. Bishnupur musicians used it to accompany singers. Hindustani khayal and thumri singers set it beside tabla and harmonium, and Surendranath Bandyopadhyay played some of its first Hindustani solos. Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) gave it its widest public through Rabindra Sangeet, his song corpus: his songs took esraj accompaniment from the early 20th century, and recordings, film music and ashram practice made it part of everyday Bengali music-making. The Ramakrishna Mission and Brahmo Samaj made it a standard devotional voice, and their recordings from the 1930s are the main archive of its devotional use. In 1937 Tagore appointed Surendranath's nephew Ashesh Chandra Bandyopadhyay to Visva-Bharati, where he taught for about 50 years and began the **Santiniketan gharana**. Rabi Shankar Chakraborty of Kolkata kept a teaching line in Bengal. ## Construction & Craftsmanship ### Construction Process The esraj body is a waisted resonator carved from **teak or tun**, covered on its face by a **goatskin** soundtable stretched over a frame and dried under tension; the skin gives a softer, warmer vibration than a wooden soundboard. The body runs 45–55 cm, the instrument 80–90 cm, with small resonance holes placed by each maker's tradition. The neck, of teak or sheesham, 35–40 cm long and 4–6 cm wide at the nut, carries movable **metal frets**, tied with gut, nylon or silk; players shift them to adjust intonation, and concert instruments carry 19 to 22. Four main strings run from pegs in the head to a tailpiece, with chikari alongside. The **sympathetic strings**, 11 to 15, run from a narrow side board, each on its own peg, beneath the frets. A bone or horn jawari bridge on a leather strap over the skin, slightly curved, is filed by the maker for buzz and clarity, and refiled with each new bridge or string gauge. The bow, the **gaz**, is pernambuco, brazilwood or carbon fibre with white horsehair, 55–65 cm, between violin and cello weight. Down-bows, frog to tip, carry the melody; up-bows return, and in fast passages carry secondary strokes. ### Maintenance & Care - Apply rosin to the **bow** hair at the start of each session with a light stroke along the full length of the hair; excess rosin dulls the tone and leaves residue on the strings. Loosen the bow hair after each session to release tension on the stick; a stick kept at playing tension warps over time. Wipe rosin dust from the strings and body with a dry cloth after each session. Have us rehair the bow when the hair loses grip or breaks across the width; most regular players need a full rehair once or twice a year. - The **goatskin** soundboard responds to humidity. In dry conditions (below 40% RH), the membrane tightens, raises the pitch of sympathetic strings and may crack at the edges where it meets the wooden frame. In high humidity (above 70% RH), the skin softens, goes slack and loses tonal definition. Store the instrument in a case with a humidity buffer at 45–55% RH. Keep the instrument away from heat sources, direct sunlight and closed vehicles in warm weather. If the skin develops a small tear at the edge, send it to us for reskinning before the tear reaches the playing area. - Check the **fret** thread before each performance; loose frets shift under bow pressure and throw intonation. If a fret has shifted, retie it with gut or nylon thread and confirm the pitch against a reference before playing. Keep spare fret thread in the case. Esraj frets see less sideways force than sitar frets because the bow does not push the string sideways, but regular checking prevents gradual drift over weeks of practice. - Tune the **strings** with a peg key before each session. The main strings drift with humidity and temperature change; allow the instrument 10–15 minutes to acclimatise in a new environment before tuning for performance. Replace strings that show kinking, corrosion or loss of brightness; replace the full main set together to keep tension balanced across the bridge. Sympathetic strings break more often than main strings and need individual replacement; keep a full set of each gauge in the case. - Wipe the **body** with a dry cloth after each session to remove rosin dust and moisture. Keep the instrument away from temperature extremes that cause the wood and goatskin to move at different rates. Inspect the joint between neck and body once a year; any movement at this joint needs repair before it loosens further. Do not use water or alcohol-based cleaners on the body; they damage both the wood finish and the goatskin membrane. ### Quick Facts Category Chordophones Family Chordophone / bowed lute Difficulty Advanced Origin North India (Bengal and Punjab; developed in the 19th century; earliest dated example Calcutta, 1877) Primary material Teak or tun wood body with goatskin soundtable String system 4 main + 2–3 drone + 11–15 sympathetic strings Playing method Upright; horsehair gaz bow, left hand on tied metal frets Speciality Khayal, bhajan and Rabindra Sangeet accompaniment; Hindustani solo Tradition Hindustani classical, Bengali devotional music and Sikh music Key figure Ashesh Chandra Bandyopadhyay ### Price Range £400 - £3,500 Student esraj instruments from Indian workshops start around £400. Mid-range instruments with better wood selection and goatskin quality cost £800 to £1,500. Concert instruments built to order by specialist makers in Kolkata or Varanasi cost £2,000 to £3,500. [ Request Quote ](/en-in/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=367) ## Technical Specifications Detailed specifications for the Esraj Physical dimensions Body & construction String system Playing equipment Acoustic characteristics Physical dimensions Physical dimensions specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Total instrument length | 80–90 cm | | Body length | 45–55 cm | | Body width | 15–20 cm | | Neck length | 35–40 cm | | Weight | 1.5–2.5 kg | Body & construction Body & construction specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Body material | Teak or tun wood (carved, waisted hollow body) | | Soundboard | Goatskin membrane stretched over a wooden frame; bridge on a leather strap | | Fret type | Movable metal frets tied with gut, nylon or silk | | Fret count | 19–22 | | Finish | Polished wood; lacquered binding at body joints | String system String system specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Main playing strings | 4 (gut core or steel-wound) | | Drone strings (chikari) | 2–3 | | Sympathetic strings (taraf) | 11–15 | | Total strings | 17–22 | | Bridge | Bone or horn jawari bridge on a leather strap (ivory on older instruments) | Playing equipment Playing equipment specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Bow name | Gaz (horsehair bow) | | Bow length | 55–65 cm | | Rosin type | Standard violin or cello rosin | | Right-hand technique | Down-bow and up-bow strokes from the frog | | Playing position | Instrument held upright; lower body on the left thigh, the right foot or the floor, by school | Acoustic characteristics Acoustic characteristics specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Tonal character | Warm, nasal, sustained legato tone; softer and mellower than the dilruba | | Sustain | Medium-long (goatskin membrane and sympathetic resonance) | | Optimal use | Khayal, bhajan, Rabindra Sangeet and alap in mid-register ragas | | Dynamic range | Soft to moderate projection | | Projection | Medium (concert room; often benefits from microphone) | ## Available Instruments Browse our curated selection of Esrajs Showing 1 instruments ### Esraj £400.00 [ Request Quote ](/en-in/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=367&product_id=43) [Get Details](/en-in/product/43) ### Looking for Something Unique? Contact us for custom-made instruments tailored to your specific requirements [ Contact for Custom Order ](/en-in/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=367) ## Your Journey to Esraj Mastery Follow this structured path from absolute beginner to accomplished performer 1 ### Bow hold and upright position Beginners start here, at Foundation, with KalaSudha's [courses](/courses). Choose a seated hold: the Santiniketan school teaches Surendranath Bandyopadhyay's posture, right leg over left with the body upright on the right foot; others rest it on the left thigh or the floor. Hold the bow at the frog, with the wrist and forearm giving the weight. Draw long, even down-bows on the open main string. 20% 2 ### Left-hand position and fret work Place the left thumb behind the neck and stop the tied frets cleanly, starting with the index finger and adding the middle and ring as the frets sound true. Check fret positions against a reference pitch before practice, and coordinate bow and fret changes without gaps, across the first seven frets first. As you bow, listen as the contact point moves the tone from bright near the bridge to warm near the neck. 40% 3 ### Meend and gamak Develop meend, sliding or pulling the stopping finger along the string while the bow keeps sounding, building the range step by step, as it is narrower than a sitar's. Add gamak, the fast oscillation of vocal music, with the left hand while the bow sustains. Practise both inside one raga phrase before full alap. 60% 4 ### Alap structure and raga unfolding Study the khayal approach to alap: begin in the lower octave with single notes and short phrases, introduce each note as the raga permits, and expand towards the upper octave over 15–30 minutes of unmetered playing. The esraj's sympathetic strings sustain beneath each phrase; let those strings speak in the silences between melodic statements rather than filling every moment with left-hand movement. In alap the silences carry the raga as much as the notes do. 80% 5 ### Gat, khayal, Rabindra Sangeet and devotional repertoire Learn the esraj's two roles. As a soloist, learn a gat in teental or rupak with tabla, holding fret intonation, and study the Bishnupur to Santiniketan line. As an accompanist, follow a singer's phrasing in a khayal in Bhairavi, Kafi or Desh, and add a bhajan or Rabindra Sangeet piece. 100% ## Frequently Asked Questions What is the esraj, the bowed instrument of Bengal and Punjab? The **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** is a bowed lute with frets and sympathetic strings. Museum examples carry four bowed main strings and 15 sympathetic strings, with brass frets tied to the neck. A goatskin soundtable covers the waisted wooden body, and a bone, ivory or horn bridge sits on a strap over the skin. How can a beginner, a child or a returning player start learning the esraj, the bowed instrument of Rabindra Sangeet? You can learn the [esraj](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/esraj) with KalaSudha online and in workshops, and every beginner starts at **Foundation** level. Foundation covers the seated hold and the bow, held at the frog with the weight coming from wrist and forearm. Children learn with us as well as adults, so ask us about a starting age and about a size for a younger learner. If you are coming back after a long break, our [courses](/courses) run in levels. You start again where you left off, once your teacher has reviewed where you stand. Where can I buy an esraj outside India, with international shipping and repair or service after the sale? KalaSudha sells the esraj to players outside India, by quote or made to order, with worldwide delivery. We pack the esraj for international shipping, and you can ask us about a case and insurance. We service and repair any esraj, wherever you bought it, and in any country. Ask us for strings and spare parts too. For help with your esraj once it arrives, use the chat on any page or email . Gift vouchers, class sets for schools and flight cases for travel are also on offer; ask us. Are the frets on an esraj movable? Yes, the frets on an **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** are tied to the neck and can be moved. They are metal, brass on documented examples, and the museum instruments documented carry 14 to 16 of them. The sympathetic strings run under the frets from their own board beside the neck, with their own wooden pegs. Who are the best-known esraj players? Surendranath Bandyopadhyay of the Bishnupur gharana is described as the first to play solos on the **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** in Hindustani classical music. His nephew and pupil Ashesh Chandra Bandyopadhyay (1920 to 1992) joined Visva-Bharati in 1937 and taught at Sangit Bhavana for about 50 years. Ashesh's line became the Santiniketan gharana of esraj, and Buddhadev Das, a professor at Sangit Bhavana, is an authority today. How is the esraj held when played? Players hold the **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** in several ways. Early players rested the neck on the shoulder and the gourd on the floor, Punjabi players rest the gourd on a cloth ring, and Lucknow players hold it between the thighs. In Bishnupur, Surendranath Bandyopadhyay devised a seated posture with the right leg over the left and the gourd upright on the right foot, which became the Santiniketan posture. How old is the esraj? The age of the **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** is disputed. Popular and community sources say about 300 years, while Bengal sources tie its spread to the mid to late 19th century, when the Gaya gharana took up esraj playing. The earliest dated instruments found are an esraj made in Calcutta in 1877, now in Berlin, and a Bengal esraj the Horniman Museum acquired in 1898. How does the esraj differ from the dilruba? The **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** is described as a variant, some say the modern variant, of the dilruba. Its body is smaller, rounder and shallower in the middle, while the dilruba has a flat, sarangi-like body, a broader fingerboard and more sympathetic strings. The dilruba is associated with Punjab and Sikh devotional music; the esraj is used in Punjab and also in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Why is the esraj used to accompany Rabindra Sangeet? The **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** is regarded as the main accompanying instrument of traditional Rabindra Sangeet, the songs of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore appointed Ashesh Chandra Bandyopadhyay to Visva-Bharati in 1937, and Ashesh used the esraj to accompany the songs. His playing appears in Satyajit Ray's documentary on Rabindranath. What is a tarshehnai? A tarshehnai is an **[esraj](/instrument/esraj)** fitted with a mechanical horn. Beneath the horn is the same instrument: a bowed lute with frets, sympathetic strings and a goatskin soundtable over a waisted wooden body. Museum esrajes carry four bowed main strings and 15 sympathetic strings. How do I book an esraj player to accompany Rabindra Sangeet or other singing, or to play solo or record? To book an esraj player for a concert, event or recording, ask KalaSudha. An esraj player can accompany singers, in Rabindra Sangeet above all, or play solo. Ask us through our page to [book Indian classical musicians](/book-indian-classical-musicians), and hear our artists first in KalaSudha's [recordings](/releases) and [concert videos](/videos). Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help! Ready to start learning Esraj? 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