An Indian folk instrument from the valley of Kashmir. It is a type of trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer, often made of walnut, whose 70-80 steel strings are struck with a pair of light carved wooden mallets (mezrab) held between the index and middle fingers. A typical santoor has 2 sets of bridges, providing a range of 3 octaves.

The santoor is derived from the Persian santur and related to similar instruments in Iraq, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkey and other parts of Asia.

In the early decades of the 20th century, the santoor or shata-tantri veena as it was called in earlier times, was used as an accompaniment to a specific type of singing called sufiana mausiqi. When Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, a renowned vocalist from Jammu and a disciple of Pandit Bade Ramdasji of Benares gharana discovered the instrument, he became interested by its possibilities. After extensive research on the instrument he passed on to his only son Shivkumar the responsibility of establishing it on the concert platform. 

Shivkumar Sharma is the master of the santoor. He modified the Kashmiri folk instrument to make it more suitable for his classical technique, increasing the range of the instrument to three full octaves and making it capable of a smoother meend (the glissando or gliding between notes required in Hindustani classical music to emulate the human voice). Besides, he also created a new technique of playing with which he could sustain notes and maintain sound continuity.