Taleju and the Origin of Kumari Worship
Goddess Taleju Bhawani, a fearsome tantric form of Durga, served as the royal tutelary deity of the Malla kings of the Kathmandu Valley. Legend recounts that King Mahendra Malla dreamed of the goddess and built her the Taleju Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square. The goddess would visit King Jayaprakash Malla nightly to play dice, appearing as a beautiful woman. One night, the king's daughter followed him and witnessed the goddess. Enraged by the broken taboo, Taleju vanished. When the king begged forgiveness, she appeared in a dream and declared she would return only in the form of a young virgi