The Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindu devotional hymn (stotra) addressed to Hanuman. It is traditionally believed to have been authored by Tulsidas in the Awadhi language and is his best known text apart from the Ramcharitmanas. The word chalisa is derived from chalis, which means "40" in Hindi, as the Hanuman Chalisa has 40 verses excluding the couplets at beginning and end.