Rare annual opening of Taleju Temple in Kathmandu
KATHMANDU, NEPAL - OCTOBER 20: Devotees queue to visit Taleju Bhawani Temple during Maha Nawami, the ninth day of the Dashain festival, at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 20, 2026. Located within the former royal palace complex, the historic temple opens to the public only once a year on Maha Nawami, attracting large numbers of worshippers seeking blessings from Goddess Taleju Bhawani. According to a 2025 report, around 500,000 devotees visited the temple on Maha Nawami in 2024. The temple is also associated with a jewel-studded necklace commissioned by King Pratap Malla, which disappeared in 1976 and later surfaced at the Art Institute of Chicago in the United States. The necklace was removed from public display in August 2025 amid efforts to secure its return to Nepal. Dashain, Nepal’s major Hindu festival, celebrates the victory of good over evil and honours Goddess Durga. Maha Nawami is marked by special prayers, worship and traditional animal sacrifice rituals at temples and shrines across the country. Safal Prakash Shrestha; Bahadır Aydemir; Anadolu Ajansı
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