Devotees throng Taleju Bhawani Temple in Bhaktapur on Mahanawami

Bhaktapur: The Taleju Bhawani Temple in Bhaktapur has been opened to the public early this morning, drawing a large number of devotees eager to offer prayers.

Steeped in history, culture, and religious significance, the temple opens to the public only once a year on Mahanawami, the ninth day of the Bada Dashain festival.

According to popular belief, Goddess Taleju manifests herself in the temple on this auspicious day, and devotees throng here in hopes of receiving her blessings.

A myth dating back to the 17th century tells that King Jaya Prakash Malla, the then ruler of Bhaktapur, used to play Tripasha (a traditional Tantric dice game) with the goddess. The story goes that the deity vanished after the king cast an impure gaze on her.

Following the king’s apology, the goddess promised the king that she would return to the temple once a year. Since then, it is believed that Taleju appears in the temple annually on Mahanawami.

Another myth suggests that the goddess entered the body of a young girl, who has since been worshipped as Ekanta Kumari, the living goddess in Bhaktapur.

Narendra Prasad Joshi, the chief priest of the Bhaktapur Taleju Temple, said that the tradition of Kumari worship originated in Bhaktapur and later spread to Kathmandu and Lalitpur.

On Bijaya Dashami, the tenth day of Dashain, it is customary to receive Tika (a ritual blessing) from the living goddess Kumari.