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.
£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.
Explore the discipline
Meet the musical tradition, its practitioners and ways to learn.
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 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 study paths, or compare the dilruba.
The esraj belongs with the 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.
Technical Specifications
Detailed specifications for the Esraj
Physical dimensions
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
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Contact for Custom OrderYour Journey to Esraj Mastery
Follow this structured path from absolute beginner to accomplished performer
Bow hold and upright position
Beginners start here, at Foundation, with KalaSudha's 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.
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.
Meend and gamak
Alap structure and raga unfolding
Gat, khayal, Rabindra Sangeet and devotional repertoire
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the esraj, the bowed instrument of Bengal and Punjab?
The 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 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 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 [email protected]. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, and hear our artists first in KalaSudha's recordings and concert videos.
Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!
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