5/5 Subin M. 1 year ago on Google
The
temple,
believed
to
have
been
commissioned
by
then
King
Mahendra
Malla,
is
located
adjacent
to
the
Hanuman
Dhoka
Palace
Museum.
A
lot
of
stories
have
come
up
about
the
origins
of
the
holy
temple.
People
believe
that
the
temple
was
built
in
the
shape
of
yantra,
a
mystical
diagram
said
to
have
magical
powers,
due
to
a
suggestion
that
came
straight
from
the
Goddess
Taleju.
According
to
legends,
Taleju
Bhawani
herself
made
a
special
appearance
at
the
temple’s
dedication
ceremony
where
she
came
disguised
as
a
bee.
She
was
originally
a
goddess
from
the
south
of
India,
but
later
became
the
kul
deuta
(family
deity)
of
the
Malla
Kings
in
14th
century.
Even
when
the
Malla
kingdom
was
conquered
by
the
Shah
rulers,
the
new
kings
adopted
Taleju
as
their
own
new
royal
deity
in
order
to
prove
and
cement
their
legitimacy
to
the
throne.
Some
people
also
say
due
to
the
presence
of
the
royal
goddess,
the
temple
escaped
with
only
minor
damages
in
the
2015
earthquake.
The
temple
still
stands,
albeit
with
a
few
cracks.
Its
pinnacle
collapsed
but
has
been
restored
and
the
main
temple
is
slightly
slanted
from
its
original
place,
but
the
structure
has
been
secured
with
scaffolding.
Taleju
temple
can
only
be
visited
by
Hindus
once
a
year
on
the
ninth
day
of
Dashain.
For
everyone
else,
it
can
only
be
viewed
from
the
outside.
Inside,
there
are
12
miniature
versions
of
the
temple
that
surround
the
main
building.
There
are
four
more
temples
higher
up
just
below
the
main
temple.
The
four
main
decorative
gates
are
guarded
by
stone
lions.
Inside
the
main
Taleju
temple
itself
are
golden
statues
depicting
the
ten-armed
goddess
along
with
shrines
to
both
Taleju
Bhawani
and
Kumari,
Nepal’s
Living
Goddess.
People
believe
that
the
temple
was
built
in
the
shape
of
yantra,
a
mystical
diagram
said
to
have
magical
powers,
due
to
a
suggestion
that
came
straight
from
the
mouth
of
Goddess
Taleju
herself
Kumari
is
considered
to
be
the
human
manifestation
of
the
Goddess
Taleju.
There
are
several
legends
telling
us
why
the
Kumari
is
considered
as
the
manifestation
of
Goddess
Taleju.
One
popular
legend
states
how
the
last
Malla
King
Jayaprakash
Malla
played
tripasa,
a
dice
game
with
the
goddess.
She
promised
to
come
every
night
on
the
condition
that
the
king
wouldn’t
tell
anyone
about
it.
But
one
night
the
king’s
wife
saw
the
goddess
which
angered
Taleju
Bhawani
and
she
left.
But
before
leaving
she
told
the
king
that
if
he
wanted
to
see
her
again
or
have
her
protect
his
country,
he’d
have
to
search
for
her
among
the
high
cast
Newar
girls
as
she
would
be
incarnated
as
a
little
girl
among
them.
Hoping
to
make
amends
with
his
patroness,
King
Jayaprakash
Malla
left
the
palace
in
search
of
the
young
girl
who
was
possessed
by
Taleju’s
spirit.
The
worshiping
of
the
Goddess
Taleju
in
the
form
of
a
young
virgin
girl,
or
kumari,
became
a
tradition
in
the
Newar
society
and
has
continued
to
this
day.
As
per
the
tradition,
the
living
goddess
visits
the
temple
on
Mahanawami
of
Dashain
every
year.
The
temple
will
be
open
on
Nawami
from
5
am
to
7
pm.
Every
year
hundreds
of
devotees
patiently
stand
in
line
to
pay
homage
to
Taleju
Bhawani
situated
at
Tulasi
Chowk,
Hanuman
Dhoka.
The
lines
reach
up
to
as
far
as
the
Kumari
Ghar,
Basantapur
from
the
temple’s
main
entrance.
