KATHMANDU, Oct 11: The Taleju Bhawani Temple is open to the public only on the day of Mahanavami during Dashain. As a result, there is usually a large crowd of devotees on this day.
However, this year, the number of devotees at the Taleju Temple in the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar area has been noticeably lower compared to last year.
Binod Kumar Rajbhandari, the ward chairperson of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-24, stated that the number of devotees has decreased this year. The temple is located in the same ward.
Huge crowd of devotees throngs Taleju Bhawani temple which open...
According to him, around half a million devotees visited the temple last year on this day. Rajbhandari mentioned, "This time, the number of visitors is not as high due to a difference in the date. Last year, the queue of devotees extended all the way to Indrachowk. Today, it only reached Makhan Tole."
Taleju Bhavani is brought to the main square of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar on the day of Phulpati and returned to the main temple only on the morning of Vijayadashami. There is a tradition of conducting a tantric ritual for the worship of Kalratri on the night of Maha Ashtami, with the intention of gaining power for the governance of the state.
After performing the Kalratri puja, 54 male goats and 54 rams are also sacrificed. Not only at Taleju Bhawani, but there is also a large gathering of devotees at power sites across the country today.
Ward Chairperson Rajbhandari said, "Regular worship is conducted on other days as well. However, today is a special occasion when the temple is opened for the general public. Today is said to be the day when the buffalo demon Mahishasura was slain, which is why offerings are also made."
The temple is open from 4 AM to 6 PM. He mentioned that the opening hours of the temple are extended based on the crowd of devotees.
