Taleju Temple, which opens once a year, sees huge crowd of worshippers [Photo Feature]

KATHMANDU: The iconic Taleju temple in Basntapur, which opens its doors to visitors only on the day of Mahanawami, is seeing a massive footfall of visitors from early Tuesday.

The temple is believed to have been built in 1564 by King Mahendra Malla. It houses the idol of Taleju Bhawani – the royal goddess of Malla kings.

The three-storied pagoda temple sits on a 12-stage plinth on the northeastern corner of Kathmandu Durbar Square. It was one of the structures in the palace square which didn’t sustain serious damage in the 2015 earthquakes.