Northern India
Indian

Wood, metal strings, hide, bone, horse hair, metal,  fiber rope
Mid 20th century
Length: 40 inches
Chordophones – Lutes

The dilruba is a northern bowed lute.  Its name has been translated as dil, meaning ‘the heart’ and ruba, meaning ‘enchanter.’  Some  consider it to be a hybrid instrument consisting of a combination of sitar and sarangi.   

This dilruba has a sitar-like neck, only smaller, with 4 main strings and 18 sympathetic strings which lie underneath the movable metal frets. Unlike the sitar, it is bowed with a bow (gaz) in a manner very much like the sarangi and the esraj. The body is made from a single piece of wood that has a waisted and rectangular shape. The soundboard is a stretched piece of goatskin similar to what is found on a sarangi. The dilruba is mainly used in religious songs and light classical music in the northern part of India. 

Resource: ‘Dilruba,’ Alastair Dick, “The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments,” 2nd ed., Vol. 2, Laurence Libin, Editor in Chief. Oxford University Press.