---
url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/how-does-the-chitraveena-differ-from-the-saraswati-veena'
title: 'How does the chitraveena differ from the Saraswati veena?'
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  name: rajeevk
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date: '2026-10-19T15:12:23+00:00'
updated: '2026-10-19T22:12:22+00:00'
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summary: "The chitraveena shares the Saraswati veena's outer form and drone tuning but is fretless, played with a slide, and has sympathetic strings."
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  [  Help ](/en-int/help)     How does the chitraveena differ from the Saraswati veena?  

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# How does the chitraveena differ from the Saraswati veena?

 Updated 19 October 2026

 The **[chitraveena](/instrument/chitraveena)** follows the outer form of the fretted Saraswati veena: a hemispherical wooden chamber, usually jackfruit, joined to a hollow stem about 81 cm long. Its three drone-rhythm strings are tuned Sa-Pa-Sa, as on the Saraswati veena. Unlike that veena, it is fretless and played with a slide, and it adds 11 or 12 sympathetic strings below its six melody strings.



 

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- [   Chitraveena The chitraveena (gottuvadyam) is a fretless Carnatic slide veena with 21 strings: a cylindrical slide gives continuous pitch and gamaka across the full…     ](/en-int/instrument/chitraveena)
 
  

 

 

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