Hundreds of devotees gathered at the historic Taleju Bhawani Temple in Bhaktapur from early morning on Maha Nawami, the ninth day of the Dashain festival, to worship Goddess Taleju Bhawani and seek her darshan. The temple, dedicated to the goddess, opens to the public only once a year on this occasion, and worshippers began assembling from dawn to make the most of the rare opportunity. Devotees thronged the site throughout the day to worship, offer prayers and catch a glimpse of the deity, whose annual public darshan remains one of the most awaited religious events of Dashain in the historic town.
A temple that opens its doors only once a year
The Taleju Bhawani Temple occupies a distinctive place among the shrines of Bhaktapur. While temples across Nepal welcome worshippers throughout the year, the Taleju Bhawani Temple follows a tradition under which it opens to the public only on Maha Nawami. For the rest of the year, the shrine remains closed to general devotees, making the ninth day of Dashain the sole occasion on which the goddess can be seen and worshipped in person.
This once-a-year opening shapes the character of the day. Devotees arrived from early morning, and hundreds gathered at the temple over the course of the day to secure their darshan. For many, the visit is a long-planned pilgrimage, with families and individual worshippers marking the date in advance and coming specifically to offer prayers and seek blessings on the one day the doors are open.
The devotion on display reflected the significance devotees attach to the occasion. Worshippers offered prayers and performed rituals in honour of the goddess, whom many revere as a powerful protector and benefactor. The large turnout on Maha Nawami underlined how the temple's unique tradition continues to draw the faithful in great numbers, year after year.
Maha Nawami in the Dashain calendar
Maha Nawami falls on the ninth day of Dashain, the longest and most widely celebrated Hindu festival in Nepal, observed over fifteen days. The day is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga, and devotees across the country visit temples and shrines from early morning to offer prayers. Many households and workplaces also worship vehicles, tools and instruments on this day, a practice associated with the ninth day of the festival.
In Bhaktapur, the observance of Maha Nawami is inseparable from the Taleju Bhawani Temple, whose annual opening to the public coincides with the festival's ninth day. The ninth day sits at the heart of the festival's final stretch:
- Fulpati, the seventh day, features the ceremonial procession of sacred plants and marks the build-up to the main worship of the goddess.
- Maha Ashtami, the eighth day, is devoted to the worship of Goddess Duga at shrines across the country.
- Maha Nawami, the ninth day, centres on devotion to the goddess, with the Taleju Bhawani Temple opening its doors to devotees in Bhaktapur.
- Vijaya Dashami, the tenth day, follows, when people receive tika and blessings from elders and relatives.
The crowds at the Taleju Bhawani Temple on Maha Nawami mirrored the devotional atmosphere at shrines of the goddess elsewhere in the country, where devotees also gather from early morning on the ninth day to offer their worship.
A high point before Dashami
The worship at Taleju Bhawani Temple marked the devotional high point of the festival in the district, coming just a day before Vijaya Dashami. With the tenth day devoted to family gatherings and the exchange of tika and blessings, the ninth day remains the moment when the focus turns most directly to the goddess herself.
The goddess of Bhaktapur's heritage
Goddess Taleju Bhawani holds a historic position in the religious and cultural life of Bhaktapur. The goddess is regarded as the tutelary deity of the Malla kings who once ruled the town, and the temple dedicated to her stands among the significant monuments of the area. That royal and historical association has kept the shrine at the centre of Dashain worship in Bhaktapur, with the annual darshan on Maha Nawami continuing a tradition that links today's devotees with the town's past.
For the hundreds who gathered this Maha Nawami, the day combined faith, festival and heritage. From early morning, they filled the temple premises to worship, offer prayers and seek darshan of Goddess Taleju Bhawani, keeping alive one of the most distinctive Dashain traditions in the district. As the festival now moves toward Vijaya Dashami, the annual opening of the temple once again demonstrated the enduring pull of the goddess among devotees in Bhaktapur and beyond.
