Chalisa
Forty-verse hymns to a deity, among the most widely recited devotional texts in Hindu homes.
Hanuman Chalisa
A forty-verse devotional hymn to Lord Hanuman composed by the poet-saint Tulsidas, among the most widely recited texts in Hindu devotion.
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Shiva Chalisa
A forty-verse hymn of praise to Lord Shiva, popular on Mondays and during Shivratri.
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Durga Chalisa
The forty-verse hymn beginning "Namo Namo Durge Sukh Karani," sung through Navratri, at Durga Ashtami and at every mata ki chauki and jagrata.
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Ganesh Chalisa
A forty-verse hymn to Lord Ganesha, recited for wisdom and the removal of obstacles.
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Lakshmi Chalisa
A forty-verse hymn to Goddess Lakshmi, recited for prosperity and wellbeing, especially on Fridays and during Diwali.
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Shani Dev Chalisa
A forty-verse hymn to Shani Dev, recited to ease the difficulty of a harsh Saturn period and seek his fair judgement.
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Krishna Chalisa
A forty-verse hymn to Shri Krishna that runs from his Braj childhood to the Gita and Meera, recited on Janmashtami and in daily Krishna worship.
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Saraswati Chalisa
A hymn to Maa Saraswati asking for wisdom, strength and learning — recited on Vasant Panchami and by students before study and exams.
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Vishnu Chalisa
A forty-verse hymn to Lord Vishnu that walks through his avatars and rescues of devotees, recited on Thursdays and Ekadashi.
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Ram Chalisa
A hymn to Shri Ram that opens with the one-verse Ramayana and dwells on the power of his name — recited on Ram Navami and over a seven-day niyam.
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Khatu Shyam Chalisa
The Shyam Chalisa sung at Khatu Dham in Sikar, Rajasthan. It tells the story of Barbarik, Ghatotkacha's son, who promised to fight for whichever side was losing, gave his head to Krishna before the Mahabharata war, and was blessed to be worshipped as Shyam, "the support of the defeated".
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Santoshi Mata Chalisa
The chalisa of Santoshi Mata, the goddess of contentment, read with the Friday vrat. It calls her Ganesha's daughter and then names her as the goddess of a dozen shrines across India, from Vindhyachal and Jwalaji to Madurai, Mumbai and Pavagadh, before describing the gur-chana offering and the blessings of her fast.
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Vaishno Devi Chalisa
A chalisa that tells the story of Mata Vaishno Devi of Trikuta: her birth and penance for Rama, the yogi Bhairon's pursuit, and the places the yatra still passes, from Banganga and Charan Paduka to the Adhkuwari cave, the holy cave where she sits as three pindis, and Bhairon Ghati.
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Kali Chalisa
A hymn to Maa Kali, recited on Amavasya, in Navratri and at Kali Puja. It opens with a long litany of the Goddess's names, including seven of the Navadurga and all ten Mahavidyas, then describes Kali's fierce form and asks her to protect her devotees.
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Surya Chalisa
The forty-verse hymn "Jai Savita Jai Jayati Divakar" to Surya Dev — his names, his seven-horsed chariot, a protective kavach of his names, and his names for each month, recited on Sundays and Ratha Saptami.
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Bhairav Chalisa
A hymn to Shri Bhairav, Shiva's fierce form and the Kotwal (guardian) of Kashi, recited on Kalashtami and Kaal Bhairav Jayanti for protection from fear and obstacles.
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Gayatri Chalisa
A forty-chaupai hymn to Gayatri Mata as Vedamata and the power of the Gayatri Mantra, widely recited in the Gayatri Pariwar tradition after Gayatri japa.
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Parvati Chalisa
Forty chaupais to Mata Parvati that describe her beauty, the ascetic husband she chose, a playful episode in which Ganga flees to Shiva's head, her fast without food, water or even leaves, and her marriage to Shiva.
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Radha Chalisa
A chalisa to Shri Radha, Vrishabhanu's daughter and the queen of Vrindavan, written from the Braj point of view: Krishna's flute calls her name, he takes countless forms just to see her, and he will not accept a devotee, or even let himself be found, until that devotee says "Radha".
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Tulsi Chalisa
A chalisa to Tulsi Mata that tells, across three lifetimes, how a woman who longed to marry Vishnu became the holy basil plant: Lakshmi's curse, Radha's curse, her life as Vrinda the wife of Jalandhar, and the exchange of curses that made Vishnu the Shaligram stone.
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Sheetala Chalisa
The chalisa of Sheetala Mata, "the cool one", the goddess who protects children from fevers and pox. It tells how she caught the demon Visphotak, the eruption that was devouring children, with her broom and winnowing basket, and made him promise to stay only where there is impurity. It is read especially on Sheetala Ashtami (Basoda).
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Ganga Chalisa
Forty chaupais to Mother Ganga by the poet Sundardas: her descent through Shiva's matted hair after Bhagiratha's penance, her three streams in heaven, earth and the underworld, the tirthas along her course, and why a single step towards her is said to equal a horse sacrifice.
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Annapurna Chalisa
The chalisa of Annapurna, the goddess of food and ruler of Kashi. Written "with the dust of Vishweshwar's feet on the head", it tells how Sati, after giving up her body at Daksha's sacrifice, was reborn as Girija and asked Brahma for one boon only: Shiva as her husband again.
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Narasimha Chalisa
A chalisa to Lord Narasimha, Vishnu's man-lion avatar. It opens with the date of his appearance, Vaishakh Shukla Chaturdashi, tells in a few lines how he burst from a pillar to save Prahlada, and then devotes most of its verses to protection: from illness, fear, evil spirits, planetary trouble and the evil eye.
Read more →Why forty verses
A chalisa (from "chalis," forty) is a devotional composition of roughly forty verses praising a specific deity's qualities, deeds and power, typically ending with a phalashruti — a closing statement describing the benefit of reciting it. The most recited example by far is the Hanuman Chalisa, composed by Tulsidas, but chalisas exist for most major deities, including Shiva, Ganesh, Lakshmi, Durga, Saraswati, Vishnu, Krishna, Ram and Surya.
Verified, complete text
Every chalisa on this site is checked against established published sources and given here in full — not summarised or trimmed to the opening lines — because a chalisa is typically recited start to finish as a single unbroken practice, not read in excerpts.
How it's typically recited
Most devotees recite a chalisa once daily, often paired with a fast or a particular day of the week associated with that deity — Hanuman's chalisa on Tuesdays and Saturdays, for instance, as explained in our Tuesday Hanuman Bhakti guide.