Majnu Ka Tilla is a “small Tibet” in Delhi. It was set up in 1960. Officially, the place is called New Aruna Nagar Coliny, Samyeling, and Chungtown. The Tibetan colony is situated between Outer Ring Road and Yamuna River in Delhi.

On July 20, 1505, Abdulla, who was a local Iranian Sufi mystic and nicknamed Majnu or “crazy,” met Guru Nanak, the Sikh Guru on a “tilla” or mound or hillock. This happened during the rule of Sikander Lodi. Majnu ferried people across River Yamuna free of cost as a service to God. Seeing his devotion the Sikh Guru stayed here till the end of July.

In 1783, Baghel Singh, the Sikh military leader, built the gurudwara called Majnu Ka Tilla to honour the Guru’s stay here. Gur Har Gobind, the 6th Sikh Guru also stayed here. Today, this gurudwara is one of the oldest existing Sikh shrines of Delhi.

Architecture

Majnu Ka Tilla features three chief residential colonies with a total of 3000-3500 homes. The colonies are Old Chandrawal Village, Aruna Nagar, and New Aruna Nagar. The village was set up in 1900s when the British accommodated laborers working at the construction site of Central Secretariat buildings. This was during the making of New Delhi.

Aruna Nagar was set up by the Land and Development Department of the Urban Development Ministry. According to reports, it provides plots to people from various areas of North Delhi.

New Aruna Nagar was set up in 1960. Recently, two big hutment clusters (“Jhuggi Jhopari”) have come up on the periphery of this place.

As Tourists walk in the allies of Majnu Ka Tilla, they can hear faint sounds of the preachings of Dalai Lama. The colony is brimming with small kiosks selling Tibetan items and fake Chinese things. The sight of poised Tibetan women in their traditional dresses selling momos and the smell of this food casts a spell on visitors. Streets feature shops selling uncommon food like fermented bamboo shoots and dried fish.

The soft music of prayer bells, bright colors, mixed noises, and a compact version of Dharamsala transports tourists to a world away from Delhi.

Best Time to Visit

Tourists can visit Majnu Ka Tilla throughout the year.

How to Reach

Delhi is well connected with the rest of India through airways, railways, and roadways. When in the city Tourists can board a metro train (yellow line) upto Vidhan Sabha station. From there they can take a rickshaw. The city offers good bus, cab, and auto rickshaw services.

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