Taleju temple in Kathamandu was constructed in 1564 by the King Mahendra Malla. This temple is totally devoted to Taleju, a type of the goddess Durga. The Taleju temple is one of the most well known temples out of the three Taleju temples construted by the Malla kings. Apart, Kathamandu, the other two Taleju Temples are in Bhaktapur and Patan.
The Taleju Temple in Kathamandu is located in Trishul Chowk, an attachment of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace. However, it could also be approached by way of the Lion Gate or the Singha Dhoka. The temple is placed over 36.6 meters high, relaxing on a twelve stage base. Its three roofs rise over the rest of Hanuman Dhoka complex. However, until very latest times constructing a house higher than the Taleju Temple was considered very inauspicious. At the 8th stage of the base, the step expands out in to a large platform at which a wall is constructed, barring further movement.
Nevertheless, at the platform just exterior of the wall there are twelve small places of worship, each temple has a double roof and every other bits and pieces of the temples are fabricated in the traditional Nepalese style. The exact theme is replicated inside the wall where there are four more temples and each shrine housing a deity. Furthermore, each temple has a spire which is one of the signs of the characteristics of Taleju (Durga) goddess. In addition, on the south direction where the main door is located, there are huge stone figures of beasts and men; each image is a great protecting force.
At the top of the base that is the twelfth stage there is a gauzily shaped bell on both sides of the main gate of the shrine. From which one bell was erected by King Pratap Malla in 1654 and one by the King Bhaskar Malla in 1714. These bells are rung only at the time when adoration is offered to the Taleju goddess.
