Q: What do the terms "Kharaj Pancham" and "Gandhar Pancham" mean?

A: "Kharaj Pancham" refers to the Maihar style sitars. They have the two bass strings - Low Pa (Pancham) and low Sa (Kharaj). "Gandhar Pancham" refers to the Imdadkhani style sitars. They are usually strung with an extra chikari string usually tuned to Ga (Gandhar).