The Shri Hanuman Chalisa has now become the first and only video from India to surpass 5 billion views on YouTube. Released in May 2011, this spiritual video has surpassed all Indian songs and videos in terms of views, albeit late.
It's hard to predict when a video will suddenly become number one on YouTube. Many songs in India, like Rowdy Baby, Dilbar, and Vaaste, have garnered billions of views, but one video has surpassed them all. Surprisingly, this isn't a film song, but a 14-year-old spiritual video that has created history by achieving 5 billion views—and that too single-handedly.
India's first video to reach 5 billion views
Uploaded on YouTube on May 10, 2011, Shri Hanuman Chalisa has garnered over 5 billion views in 14 years. It became the first and only video in India to achieve this feat. The late Gulshan Kumar appears in the video, while the song is sung by Hariharan. Music composer Lalit Sen composed the song. As of this writing, it has received 5,006,713,956 views.
T-Series called it a spiritual heritage
Bhushan Kumar, Managing Director of T-Series, emotionally recalled this achievement. He said that Hanuman Chalisa is a pillar of faith for millions of people and this achievement is a tribute to his father Gulshan Kumar's vision of bringing devotional music to every home. Bhushan Kumar described this as not just a digital success, but a reflection of the nation's faith.
Other Indian videos lag far behind.
Interestingly, no other video in India has even reached 2 billion views. The next highest is the Punjabi song Lehenga, which has 1.8 billion views. 52 Gaj Ka Daman and Rowdy Baby are in the 1.7 billion club. Zaroori Tha, Vaaste, Lut Gaye, Laung Laachi, Dilbar, and Bum Bum Bole also feature in the top list, but the gap is quite large.
The most viewed video in the world
However, children's songs and nursery content hold the top spot in the global rankings. Baby Shark Dance is at number one with 16.38 billion views, followed by Despacito with 8.85 billion, Wheels on the Bus with 8.16 billion, Bath Song with 7.28 billion, and Johny Johny Yes Papa with 7.12 billion. Hanuman Chalisa also makes the list.
A historic milestone achieved in 14 years
The success of Shri Hanuman Chalisa demonstrates that audience preferences aren't always limited to trending songs. Spiritual and devotional content remains relevant over time. The continued popularity of this 14-year-old video reflects the deep penetration of devotional music in India and the immense reach of YouTube. This achievement has set a new benchmark in Indian digital history.
PC:India Daily
