Hanuman Chalisa is a devotional song based on Lord Hanuman as the model devotee. It is a poem written by Tulsidas in the Awadhi language, and is his best known Hindu text apart from the Ramcharitmanas. The word "chalisa" is derived from "chalis" in Hindi, which means 40, as the Hanuman Chalisa has 40 verses.

Hanuman (also known as Anjaneya and Maruti) is a Hindu deity and an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, a central character in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. Folk tales increasingly eulogize the powers of Hanuman and he is considered an avatar or reincarnation of Shiva. The qualities of Hanuman, his strength, courage, wisdom, celibacy, devotion to Rama and the many names by which he was known is detailed in Hanuman Chalisa. There are more temples devoted to Hanuman than any other deity in India and recitation of Hanuman Chalisa is one of the common religious practices.