Taleju

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Taleju (Newar: 𑐟𑐮𑐾𑐖𑐸; Devanagari: तलेजु) or Taleju Maju (Newar: 𑐟𑐮𑐾𑐖𑐸 𑐩𑐵𑐖𑐸 taleju māju; "mother taleju") or Taleju Bhavani is a goddess worshiped primarily in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. While her precise theological identification remains uncertain, Taleju has been variously identified with Durga and Kalika in Newar Hindu traditions and with Tara in Newar Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. Taleju was the royal tutelary deity (sveṣṭadevatā) of the Malla rulers of Nepal, under whose patronage her worship became closely associated with the royal courts of the Kathmandu Valley. Temples dedicated to her are found in the former Malla capitals of Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Patan, with the shrine at Bhaktapur traditionally regarded as her principal sanctuary. Although traditional Nepalese chronicles from the 19th century push her history to the 14th century, linking her establishment with the Karnata king Harisimhadeva in 1324, the earliest known documentary evidence of her cult dates only to the...

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