Shri Hanuman

Overview

The Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindi devotional hymn of 40 verses (chalisa) attributed to the 16th-century poet-saint Goswami Tulsidas. It praises Lord Hanuman's strength, devotion to Rama, knowledge, and his role as a protector and messenger. Composed in the Awadhi dialect, it is one of the most widely recited texts in Hindu devotional practice and belongs to the Ramanandi Vaishnava tradition.

What are the benefits of chanting Hanuman Chalisa?

• Removes fear and anxiety through invocation of Hanuman's protective qualities
• Grants strength and courage, consistent with Hanuman's nature as described in the Ramayana
• Cultivates wisdom and knowledge by meditating on Hanuman's qualities of discernment
• Removes obstacles in daily life according to traditional accounts of the text's efficacy

When is the best time to recite this?

Tuesdays and Saturdays are the most widely observed days for recitation. Hanuman Jayanti, Rama Navami, morning, and evening are all appropriate. The text is also commonly recited during distress or before important undertakings.

What is the historical and traditional background?

The Hanuman Chalisa is attributed to Goswami Tulsidas (c. 1532–1623 CE), who is best known for the Ramcharitmanas, a Awadhi-language retelling of the Ramayana. Traditional accounts associate the chalisa's composition with a period of Tulsidas's personal difficulty. The text reflects the Bhakti movement's emphasis on accessible vernacular devotional poetry directed at the personal deity. The chalisa's structure — two doha couplets framing 40 chaupai verses — follows established conventions of North Indian devotional verse. It has been in continuous use for approximately four centuries and is recited daily in Hanuman temples across India and in diaspora communities worldwide.

Available scripts

This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.

Related Texts

• Shri Bajrang Baan — a Hindi invocatory hymn to Hanuman in the same bhakti tradition, recited alongside the Chalisa for direct protection
• Shri Giriraj Chalisa — another Hindi chalisa in the North Indian Vaishnava devotional tradition