chikara
The chikara is a bowed stringed musical instrument from India used to play Indian folk music. It is used by the tribal people of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
chikara
Jo Dusepo · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Chikara
- Field
- musical instrument
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
getty · 500474876 · gnd · 1379677637 · wikidata · Q5097384
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Chikara • Background — string • Classification — String instrument • Hornbostel Sachs Desc — Composite chordophone • Related — Chikari
Ambiguity
Ambiguity
The term "chikara" is often used ambiguously to describe a variety of unrelated folk fiddles of northern India.
Description
The chikara is a simple spike fiddle played, similarly to the sarangi or sarinda, by sliding fingernails on the strings rather than pressing them to touch the fingerboard. It has 3 strings, two horse hair and one steel, in 3 courses and is tuned C, F, G.
Related Instruments
Related Instruments
• Chikari, smaller version of chikara. • Sarangi
A set of images of musical instruments from the Horniman Museum in London, UK. Taken by Jo Dusepo 24/5/19. Bottom row, from left: tar, dramyen, Sarangis, Rebáb (Maghreb), Guembri, Ngoni (instrument).
Jo Dusepo
A set of images of musical instruments from the Horniman Museum in London, UK. Taken by Jo Dusepo 24/5/19
Jo Dusepo
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Chikara (instrument), revision 1187943413 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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