Taleju Temple, Kathmandu
Hindu temple in Kathmandu, Nepal

Taleju Temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictKathmandu
ProvinceBagmati
DeityTaleju Bhawani
FestivalsDashain
Location
LocationKathmandu Durbar Square
CountryNepal
Taleju Temple, Kathmandu is located in Bagmati Province
Taleju Temple, Kathmandu
Shown within Bagmati Province
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Taleju Temple, Kathmandu is located in Nepal
Taleju Temple, Kathmandu
Taleju Temple, Kathmandu (Nepal)
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Coordinates27°42′18″N 85°18′29″E / 27.704871°N 85.308008°E / 27.704871; 85.308008
Architecture
CreatorMahendra Malla
Established1564

Taleju Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Taleju Bhawani, the royal patron goddess of the Malla dynasty of Nepal.[1] It was built in 1564 by Mahendra Malla and is located in Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2] Inside the temple, there is a shrine to Taleju Bhawani, and her human embodiment, the Kumari Devi.[3] The Taleju Temple is only opened once a year on the occasion of Dashain.[4]

  • Taleju Temple after 2015 earthquake
    Taleju Temple after 2015 earthquake
  • Taleju Temple viewed from the entrance
    Taleju Temple viewed from the entrance

Taleju Necklace

The Taleju Temple once contained the Taleju Necklace, a 17th-century Nepali ceremonial collar now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is known as the Necklace Inscribed with the Name of King Pratapamalladeva.[5] In 1970, Nepalese authorities transferred several treasures from the temple, including the necklace, to the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Museum in Kathmandu for safekeeping.[6] By 1976 the necklace had left Nepal and appeared in the United States, where it was sold by a Californian art dealer to the Alsdorf Foundation, a Chicago-based private collection.[7] The necklace later entered the Art Institute of Chicago, where it has been exhibited ever since. Because of its association with the Taleju Temple, scholars and campaigners in Nepal have sought the necklace’s return.[8] Media reports have raised the possibility that Nepal’s royal family was responsible for its sale.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Taleju Temple". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Taleju Bhawani in Kathmandu: The story of a king and his 'living goddess'". OnlineKhabar. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Taleju Temple: A Fitting Tribute to Goddess Taleju Bhawani". ECS Nepal. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  4. ^ Adhikari, Priyanka (18 October 2018). "Devotees throng historic Taleju Temple on Maha Nawami". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  5. ^ Necklace Inscribed with the Name of King Pratapamalladeva, 1645–1655, retrieved 4 October 2025
  6. ^ "Necklace of Taleju traced in Chicago". GorakhaPatra. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  7. ^ Times, Nepali (13 June 2021). "How Nepali antiquities got to Chicago museum". Archived from the original on 19 August 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  8. ^ a b Cherney, Elyssa (20 March 2023). "Nepal Wants a Sacred Necklace Returned. But a Major Museum Still Keeps It on Display". ProPublica. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  • Media related to Taleju Temple, Kathmandu at Wikimedia Commons


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