The Sitar is a plucked string instrument that originated in Northern India. The body and neck of this example appear to be carved from a single piece of wood, with the head of the instrument being made from a separate piece. The body is small and rounded with a flat top and curved bottom; there are several ornate, black and white inlays decorating the top and sides as well as two detailed wings carved out of wood, one on either side of the body with the ends pointing towards the neck; on the top of the body there are two white bridges, the smaller of the two holds the sympathetic strings which then go under the larger bridge which holds the playable strings; all of the strings wrap around nails at the bottom of the instrument which are protected by a sort of cup carved into the wood. The neck is the largest part of the instrument, it is curved on the bottom and mostly flat on the top, curving up slightly towards the edges; there are black and white inlays on the top and sides of the neck, similar to those on the body; there are 17 wooden tuning pegs along the proper right side of the neck, 15 of which are simple, paddle shaped, and used for the sympathetic strings, which attach to the pegs through small holes in the top of the neck, the other two are more ornate, carved knob shaped pegs which are used for the primary strings, there is 1 more ornate, knob shaped peg near the top of the proper left side of the neck, this one also belongs to a primary string; a gold sticker at the top of the neck reads "RIKHI RAM MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS MANUFACTURING CO. B.A. MARINA ARCADE, CONNAUGHT CIRCUS NEW DELHI. - I.[illegible] SUPPLIERS TO A.I.[illegible]". The head of the instrument is separated from the neck by a white bridge which keeps the primary strings from touching the sympathetic strings; the head curves into an ornate curl at the top which ends in two leaf-like carvings; there are 6 carved, knob shaped tuning pegs on the head, 3 on each side, which attach to primary strings.