Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Harishchandra
हरिश्चन्द्रSay it hu-rish-CHUN-dra
- Meaning today
- Moon of Hari, king of truth
- Original meaning
- "having golden splendour; name of a legendary king of the solar dynasty" Monier-Williams, p. 1290
- Say it
- hu-rish-CHUN-dra
- Written
- हरिश्चन्द्र
- Other spellings
- Harischandra, Harishchander
Harishchandra
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Harishchandra meaning
Harishchandra (हरिश्चन्द्र) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
Meaning today
Moon of Hari, king of truth
Original Sanskrit meaning
"having golden splendour; name of a legendary king of the solar dynasty"
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 1290 · entry hari-ścandra · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Harishchandra (हरिश्चन्द्र) is a Ṛgvedic word, hari-ścandra, "having golden splendour", from hari, "golden", and ścandra, an old form of candra, "shining". It is best known as the name of the legendary king of the solar dynasty who, in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, gives up his kingdom, wife, son and finally himself to satisfy the sage Viśvāmitra, and is raised to heaven. That story is why families read the name as "king of truth"; the "moon of Hari" gloss splits the word differently from the dictionary. India's first feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913), told his story.
References: Monier-Williams, hari-ścandra, p. 1290 · Wikipedia, Raja Harishchandra · Wikipedia, Bharatendu Harishchandra
Famous namesakes
- King Harishchandra of the Puranas
- Bharatendu Harishchandra, Hindi writer
Fits your syllable
First sound ह
Punarvasu nakshatra, pada 3 · Mithun rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is हा, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Harishchandra · Harischandra · Harishchander