A lutelike stringed instrument of India, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments in Hindustani (northern Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani) classical music. The sarod is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet, overtone-rich texture of the sitar, with sympathetic strings that give it a resonant, reverberant quality. It is a fretless instrument able to produce the continuous slides between notes known as meend (glissandi), which is important to Indian music.

It is believed to have descended from the Afghan rebab (or rubab), but Rajasthani, followed by Bengali, instrument makers have definitely changed its shape. It has kept from its ancestor some characteristics: it is made of one piece of carved wood, the neck is fretless and the bridge is seated on a skin stretched on the body of the instrument.

The design of the instrument depends on the school of playing. The conventional sarod is a 17 to 25-stringed lute-like instrument - 4 to 5 main strings used for playing the melody, 1 or 2 drone strings, 2 chikari strings and 9 to 11 sympathetic strings tuned on the notes of the raga. Another technically more sophisticated type, known as the Maihar Prototype, is larger and longer than the conventional instrument. This has 25 strings in all: 4 main strings, 4 drone strings, 2 chikari strings and 15 sympathetic strings.

The strings are plucked with a triangular plectrum made of polished coconut shell, ebony, cocobolo wood, horn, cowbone or other materials. The musician uses the tips of his fingernails to stop the strings.