Chalisa means
"forty verse" prayer and contains verses that praise the deity
with devotion. They are recited over and over again or chanted by
groups of people in temples and in homes. There are as many deities
whose acts and deeds are recalled in the verses to aid the devotee to
meditate on righteous and noble qualities.
Chalisas have been in existence since the emergence of the
human race. From time immemorial, man has turned to poetry to express
their deepest and sincerest feelings.
Some of the important chalisas are as folows :
- Ganesh Chalisa
- Shiv Chalisa
- Durga Chalisa
- Hanuman Chalisa
- Ram Chalisa
- Krishna Chalisa
- Laxmi Chalisa
- Saraswati Chalisa
- Bhairav Chalisa
- Santoshi Mata Chalisa
- Vindhaswari Chalisa
- Gayatri Chalisa
- Ganga Chailsa
- Shani Chailsa