Bhakti Instruments | back to home page
e-mail us at: info@sitara.org
PO Box 411 Middletown, CA 95461
The ektara or dhotara is the ideal chanting and singing instrument. It suppies the rhythm and drone for the singer, allowing total vocal freedom. Only one of the two strings is played, while the second string resonates to the same note, supplying a rich mellow tone. Ek means one, and tar means string, thus the means "ekatar".
It is made of a round gourd with skin covering and a bamboo neck. Our hand selected gourds from a local farm are suprisingly light and strong, making them the perfect chsmber for any instrument. These ektars are made entirely by hand, with very little use of machine tools.
The ektar is one of the oldest instruments of India. It is known as the "yogi's instrument" because many yogi's use it for chanting, enjoying it's portaility, simplicity and purity. The immortal Indian sage Narada is famous for carrying an egtar around ith him on his mystical journey's. And Mirabai, the saint who loved Krishna, sang to Him accompanied by her ektar.
Priced at $150-250 depending on size