The Hanuman Chalisa (Hindi pronunciation: [ɦənʊmaːn tʃaːliːsaː]; Forty chaupais on Hanuman) is a Hindu devotional hymn (stotra) in praise of Hanuman
It was authored by Tulsidas in the Awadhi language, and is his best known text apart from the Ramcharitmanas
Apart from Awadhi, the Hanuman Chalisa is also available in various languages including Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, and Gujarati
The word “chālīsā” is derived from “chālīs”, which means the number forty in Hindi, as the Hanuman Chalisa has 40 verses (excluding the couplets at the beginning and at the end)
A Gulshan Kumar-produced rendition of Hanuman Chalisa sung by Hariharan has received more than 2 billion views on YouTube as of November 2021, making it the first devotional song in the platform to achieve this feat
Hanuman is a devotee of Shri Rama and one of the central characters in a well-known Hindu epic, the Ramayan
According to the Shaivite tradition, God Hanuman is also an incarnation of God Shiva
Folk tales acclaim the powers of Hanuman
The qualities of bhagwan Hanuman – his strength, courage, wisdom, celibacy, devotion to Lord Rama and the many names by which he was known – are detailed in the Hanuman Chalisa
Recitation or chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa is a common religious practice
The Hanuman Chalisa is the most popular hymn in praise of Hanuman, and is recited by millions of Hindus every day