Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is recognised as the highest national award in performing arts in India. The award was incepted in the year 1954 and is given in several categories like Hindustani Music (Vocal), Hindustani Music (Instrumental), Carnatic Music (Vocal), Carnatic Music (Instrumental), etc. Some of these sections are also divided into several sub-sections. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani Music (Instrumental) is one of the prime categories of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and it is also divided int different categories. The categories include Been/Rudra Veena/Vichitra Veena; Flute; Harmonium; Pakhawaj; Santoor; Sarangi; Sarod; Shehnai; Sitar; Surbahar; Tabla; Violin; etc.
List of the winners of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani Music (Instrumental) is given below:
•Been/Rudra Veena/Vichitra Veena Player |
|
| Year | Been/Rudra Veena/Vichitra Veena Player |
| 1995 | Gopal Krishan and Ahmad Raza Khan |
| 1994 | Gopal Krishan |
| 1981 | Zia Mohiuddin Dagar |
| 1977 | Asad Ali Khan |
| 1969 | Dabir Khan |
•Flute Player |
|
| Year | Flute Player |
| 1994 | Raghunath Seth |
| 1986 | Devendra Murdeshwar |
| 1983 | Hari Prasad Chaurasia |
•Harmonium Player |
|
| Year | Harmonium Player |
| 2005 | Tulsidas Vasant Borkar |
| 1999- 2000 |
Appa Jalgaonkar |
•Pakhawaj Player |
|
| Year | Pakhawaj Player |
| 2003 | Bhawani Shankar Kathak |
| 1995 | Ram Ashish Pathak |
| 1993 | Gopaldas Panse |
| 1991 | Chhatrapati Singh Ju Deo |
| 1988 | Ramshankardas Pagaldas |
| 1978 | Purushottam Das |
| 1967 | Ayodhya Prasad |
| 1965 | Sakharam Tavde |
| 1955 | Govind Rao Burhanpurkar |
•Santoor Player |
|
| Year | Santoor Player |
| 1993 | Bhajan Sopori |
| 1986 | Shivkumar Sharma |
•Sarangi Player |
|
| Year | Sarangi Player |
| 2008 | Ramesh Mishra |
| 1996 | Inderlal Dhandra |
| 1992 | Sultan Khan |
| 1990 | Abdul Lateef Khan |
| 1988 | Hanuman Prasad Mishra |
| 1986 | Sabri Khan |
| 1976 | Gopal Misra |
| 1975 | Ram Narain |
| 1966 | Shakoor Khan |
•Sarod Player |
|
| Year | Sarod Player |
| 2004 | Aashish Khan |
| 1999- 2000 |
Rajeev Taranath |
| 1993 | Buddhadev Dasgupta |
| 1989 | Amjad Ali Khan |
| 1988 | Zarin Sharma |
| 1986 | Sharan Rani Backliwal |
| 1971 | Radhika Mohan Maitra |
| 1963 | Ali Akbar Khan |
| 1953 | Hafiz Ali Khan |
| 1952 | Allauddin Khan |
•Shehnai Player |
|
| Year | Shehnai Player |
| 2009 | Ali Ahmad Hussain |
| 2008 | Krishna Ram Chaudhary |
| 1996 | Raghunath Prasanna |
| 1989 | Anant Lal |
| 1985 | Ali Hussain Khan |
| 1956 | Bismillah Khan |
•Sitar Player |
|
| Year | Sitar Player |
| 2006 | Shahid Parvez Khan |
| 2003 | Arvind Natverlal Parikh |
| 2001 | Mani Lal Nag |
| 1996 | Debu Chaudhary |
| 1994 | Shamim Ahmed Khan |
| 1992 | Uma Shankar Mishra |
| 1989 | Balram Pathak |
| 1987 | Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, Imrat Hussain Khan (also for Surbahar) |
| 1974 | Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee |
| 1968 | Mustaq Ali Khan |
| 1962 | Ravi Shankar |
| 1960 | Wahid Khan |
| 1958 | Yusuf Ali |
•Surbahar Player |
|
| Year | Surbahar Player |
| 1991 | Annapurna Devi |
•Tabla Player |
|
| Year | Tabla Player |
| 2009 | Lachman Singh Seen |
| 2007 | Nandan Mehta |
| 2006 | Kumar Bose |
| 2004 | Suresh Talwalkar |
| 2002 | Suresh B.Gaitonde, Anindo Chatterjee |
| 1999- 2000 |
Shankar Ghosh |
| 1998 | Pandharinath Gangadhar Nageshkar |
| 1997 | Swapan Chaudhuri, Lalji Gokhale |
| 1991 | Shaikh Dawood |
| 1990 | Zakir Hussain |
| 1984 | Kishan Maharaj |
| 1982 | Alla Rakha |
| 1979 | Samta Prasad Maharaj |
| 1976 | Karamatulla Khan |
| 1970 | Masit Khan |
| 1961 | Kanthe Maharaj |
| 1959 | Jahangir Khan |
| 1954 | Ahmed Jan Thirakwa |
•Violin Player |
|
| Year | Violin Player |
| 2007 | Ramoo Prasad Shastri |
| 1997 | Sisir Kana Dhar Chowdhury |
| 1995 | D.K. Datar |
| 1990 | N. Rajam |
| 1980 | Vishnu Govind Jog |
| 1972 | Gajananrao Joshi |
•Guitar Player |
|
| Year | Guitar Player |
| 2005 | Brij Bhushan Kabra |