The or esraaj (from the Shahmukhi: اسراج Bengali: এস্রাজ) is a stringed instrument found in two forms throughout South Asia. It is a relatively recent instrument, being only about 300 years old. It is found in Pakistan and North India, primarily Punjab, where it is used in Sikh music, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India where it is used in Rabindra Sangeet and Classical Music. The is a modern variant of the , differing slightly in structure.
The and its variant, the , had been declining in popularity for many decades. By the 1980s, the instrument was nearly extinct. However, with the rising influence of the "Gurmat Sangeet" movement in an effort to revive the traditional instrumentation of Sikh Kirtan, the instrument has been once again attracting attention. In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore made this instrument mandatory for all the students of the (Music Academy) in Visva-Bharati University (otherwise known as Shantiniketan). Because of this, is considered the main accompanying instrument for traditional .
History
is the modern variant of the . The was created some 300 years ago by the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, who based it on the much older, and heavier, Taus. This made it more convenient for the Khalsa, the Sikh army, to carry the instrument on horseback.