What it sounds like, and the records to hear it on.
The sitar comes from India and is a member of the long-necked lute family. It has quite a number of strings: some for the melody and others that resonate in harmony. A sitar has metal frets, which you can slide along the neck to change the tuning. It is primarily used in Hindustani classical music, and its more visible presence in the Western world is due to musicians such as Ravi Shankar, one of the most famous masters of the sitar, and his teaching of and work with George Harrison of The Beatles. .