Taleju

Nanyadeva, the Suryavanshi king of Ayodhya, received a divine command from Tulaja Bhavani in a dream while performing penance on the bank of the Sarayu river during a time of poverty and hardship.

Diving into the whirlpool of the Sarayu river, Nanyadeva obtained the Shri Yantra and the method of worship of Tulaja Devi, which lay inside a golden chest that had been worshipped since the days of Lord Rama.

According to the goddess's command, Nanyadeva set off toward Uttarakhand (the forests of the Tarai). There, after obtaining the buried treasure of King Alarka, guarded by a naga, and a divine sword, he established the kingdom of Simroungarh and built a temple to Tulaja Bhavani.

After Nanyadeva, during the time of King Harisinghadeva, the fifth generation, Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq of Delhi attacked Simroungarh. According to the goddess's command, Harisinghadeva set out toward the hills carrying the yantra of Tulaja Bhavani.

Having nothing to offer her as bhoga along the way, a wild Arna (buffalo) that was found in the early morning was sacrificed, and from this began the Newar community's tradition of eating male buffalo meat and performing worship.

After arriving in Bhaktapur, during the time of King Jayasthiti Malla, Tulaja Bhavani was installed in a grand temple as the tutelary goddess (ishta devi) of the Malla kings, and she is known today as 'Taleju Bhavani'.