Mother goddess worshipped in Nepal and India. In Nepal, she has been worshipped since at least the twelfth century CE; the cult of Taleju was at its height in the Malla period. In India, where she is also known as Tulja, she was likely known much earlier; she was given especial importance in medieval Mithila. The goddess was the kuladevi (tutelary goddess of the lineage) of the Malla kings, many of whom chose her as their ishtadevata (personal deity). She held primary importance in official Malla rituals; the principal Taleju temples in Nepal are housed in Malla palaces. Her cult likely grew out of and absorbed that of Maneshvari, the earlier tutelary goddess of the Licchavis. In Tantric ritual, Taleju is worshipped as a yantra; in iconography, she resembles Durga as Mahishasuramardini. The devotional practices of the Taleju cult in Nepal are also closely related to those of the Kumari or virgin-goddess. Today, most Taleju temples are closed and the ones still functional are opened once a year during Dashain, when animal sacrifices are offered to her.