There is no wrong time to read the Hanuman Chalisa. The Chalisa itself fixes no hour: it says that whoever reads it gains siddhi (chaupai 39), and it speaks of reading it a hundred times (chaupai 38). By custom, most devotees read it in the morning after a bath, or in the evening when the lamp is lit at sunset, and many read it more on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the days kept for Hanuman ji.
The best time is the one you can keep every day. Below: morning or evening, night, which day, how many times, the common rules, and the same in Hindi.
Morning or Evening?
Most devotees read the Chalisa once a day, at a time that suits their home. These are the times people choose most often:
| Time | Why devotees choose it |
|---|---|
| Brahma muhurta, before dawn | The 48 minutes that begin 1 hour 36 minutes before sunrise (Brahma muhurta): with sunrise at 6:00, from 4:24 to 5:12. The house is quiet and the mind is fresh. |
| Morning, after the bath | The most common custom: read it at the home shrine before the day begins. |
| Evening, at sunset | When the lamp is lit (sandhya). Many families read it together then. |
| At night, before sleep | Quiet, at the end of the day. Many read it or listen to it before sleeping. |
| Any free moment | On the way to work, in a break. The Chalisa needs no fixed hour. |
If you are choosing for the first time, the morning after your bath is the custom most families follow. The evening is just as good. What matters more is reading it with attention, at the same time each day, so that it becomes part of your day. What devotees say the Chalisa brings is on our benefits page.
Can You Read Hanuman Chalisa at Night?
Yes. The Chalisa sets no hour, and nothing in it forbids reading it at night. Many people read it before going to sleep, or play it softly and listen, especially when they feel afraid in the dark or alone.
Some families prefer to finish their puja before it gets late, and some say it should not be read after midnight. These are family customs, not rules of the Chalisa. If reading late suits your day, read it calmly, sitting up or lying down, whichever you can. To listen along, choose a recording on our audio page.
Which Day Is Best?
Every day is good. By tradition, Tuesday and Saturday are kept for Hanuman ji, and the Hanuman Chalisa is recited most on those two days. Many people read it more times then, or visit a Hanuman temple.
Why Tuesday is Hanuman ji’s day, and how people read on it, is on our Tuesday page; the Tuesday fast is on the Mangalvar vrat page. On Saturday, devotees believe that worshipping Hanuman ji eases the troubles they link with Shani Dev (Saturn), so the Chalisa is read in many homes and temples that evening.
The biggest day of the year is Hanuman Jayanti, Hanuman ji’s birthday. Most of North India keeps it on the full moon of Chaitra; some regions keep it on other dates. Many devotees read the Chalisa 11 times or more that day.
How Many Times, and for How Many Days?
Once a day is enough. The Chalisa asks for no number, except in one verse:
जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई।
छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई॥
Jo Sat Bar Path Kar Koi ।
Chhootahi Bandi Maha Sukh Hoi ॥
Chaupai 38: “Whoever reads this a hundred times (sat bar) is freed from bondage and finds great happiness.” Its explanation is on the meaning page, and how people read it a hundred times is on our 100 times page.
| How many times | When people read it so |
|---|---|
| Once | Every day. This is the usual practice, and it is enough. |
| 3, 7 or 11 times | On Tuesdays and Saturdays, or when a family prays together for something. These numbers are customs. |
| 21 times | On Hanuman Jayanti or another special day of prayer, often in a temple or with family. |
| 100 times | The number in chaupai 38, usually read over a day or several days, often with others. |
| 108 times | A mala (rosary) has 108 beads, so some people count their readings on one. A custom. |
Some people take a vow (sankalp) to read it every day for 11, 21 or 40 days, often in a hard time or for a wish. Forty days goes well with a chalisa, a poem of forty verses. These vows are customs; the Chalisa itself sets no number of days. If you take one, keep it simple, so that you can keep it.
Common Questions on the Rules
The Hanuman Chalisa sets no rules for who may read it or when. What people call rules are customs, and they differ from family to family. Here is what is text, what is custom and what is belief.
Can women read it? Yes. Chaupai 39 says “jo yah padhai”, whoever reads it; it names no one who may not. The idea that women should not read it is a belief linked to Hanuman ji being a brahmachari, and it has no basis in the Chalisa.
During periods? The Hanuman Chalisa sets no rule about it. Customs differ: some families keep away from puja and the home shrine during periods, others do not. Many women read the Chalisa from memory or listen to it in those days. Follow your family’s custom or your guru’s advice; devotion itself is not barred.
Without a bath? A bath before puja is a custom, not a condition of the Chalisa. If you cannot bathe, wash your hands and face, or simply read it from memory.
Lying down, travelling or listening? All are fine. In illness or old age, read it lying down; on the way to work, read it from memory or on your phone; listening with attention is a way of reading it too.
When not to read it? The Chalisa names no such time. Some families pause their puja during sutak, the days after a birth or a death in the family, and some eat only vegetarian food on the days they read it. Follow your family’s custom.
How to sit and read it, in five easy steps, is on our Hindi and English pages.
हिंदी में: हनुमान चालीसा कब और कितनी बार पढ़ें
हनुमान चालीसा पढ़ने का कोई गलत समय नहीं है। चालीसा में कोई समय तय नहीं किया गया है। परंपरा से ज़्यादातर लोग सुबह नहाकर या शाम को दीया जलाते समय पाठ करते हैं, और मंगलवार व शनिवार को ज़्यादा बार पढ़ते हैं। सबसे अच्छा समय वह है, जिस पर आप रोज़ पाठ कर सकें।
सुबह या शाम? ज़्यादातर परिवार सुबह नहाकर घर के मंदिर में पाठ करते हैं। शाम को दीया जलाते समय पढ़ना भी उतना ही अच्छा है। ब्रह्म मुहूर्त, यानी सूर्योदय से 1 घंटा 36 मिनट पहले शुरू होने वाले 48 मिनट, पूजा और ध्यान के लिए सबसे अच्छे माने जाते हैं।
रात को? हाँ, पढ़ सकते हैं। चालीसा में रात को पढ़ने की कोई मनाही नहीं है। बहुत से लोग सोने से पहले पाठ करते हैं या धीमी आवाज़ में सुनते हैं। आधी रात के बाद न पढ़ने की बात कुछ परिवारों की परंपरा है, चालीसा का नियम नहीं।
कितनी बार? रोज़ एक बार पढ़ना काफ़ी है। मंगलवार और शनिवार को लोग 3, 7 या 11 बार पढ़ते हैं, और हनुमान जयंती पर 21 बार या उससे ज़्यादा। अड़तीसवीं चौपाई में सौ बार पाठ की बात कही गई है: “जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई। छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई॥” 108 बार का पाठ माला के 108 मनकों से जुड़ी परंपरा है।
कितने दिन? कुछ लोग 11, 21 या 40 दिन रोज़ पाठ करने का संकल्प लेते हैं। यह परंपरा है; चालीसा में दिनों की कोई गिनती नहीं दी गई है।
पढ़ने के नियम: पाठ के लिए कोई कठिन नियम नहीं है। नहाकर या हाथ-मुँह धोकर साफ़ जगह पर बैठें, हनुमान जी का ध्यान करें, और धीरे व साफ़ बोलें। पूरी विधि हिंदी पेज पर है।
महिलाएं और पीरियड्स: महिलाएं हनुमान चालीसा पढ़ सकती हैं; उनतालीसवीं चौपाई कहती है “जो यह पढ़ै”, यानी जो भी पढ़े। पीरियड्स के दिनों के लिए चालीसा में कोई नियम नहीं है। कुछ परिवार इन दिनों पूजा और मंदिर से दूर रहते हैं, कुछ नहीं। बहुत सी महिलाएं इन दिनों मन में पाठ करती हैं या सुनती हैं। अपने परिवार की परंपरा या अपने गुरु की सलाह मानें; भक्ति पर कोई रोक नहीं है।
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions people often ask about when and how often to read the Hanuman Chalisa, in English and in Hindi.
Read the Hanuman Chalisa in Hindi or in English letters, its meaning, or download the free PDF in 10 languages. To listen, open the audio page.
