MAJNU KA TILLA : Exploring The Unexplored

Delhi is a goldmine for history buffs, and I love it when some of our favourite spots come with a quaint bit of history attached to them. Majnu Ka Tila, also known as Delhi’s mini-Tibet, is one such place. It opens up to you a small world so splendid and exquisite that you just don’t want to leave.

Majnu-Ka-Tila is a Tibetan refugee colony known as Little Tibet of Delhi. It is famous for Tibetan market and Tibetan food. The place got its name from a local Iranian Sufi mystic, Abdulla nicknamed Majnu. He was an ardent devotee of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Majnu ferried people across the Yamuna river for free as a service to God.

A walk on the Buddhist side of life: Delhi’s Mini Tibet Picture this: winding alleys, cool breeze blowing in your face, faint echoes of Dalai Lama’s preaching, graceful Tibetan ladies in their traditional attire selling momos in the courtyard, vibrant colours, unusual smells, the serene soft music made by the prayer bells. A smaller, condensed version of Dharamsala…while it may  be a world not many will relate to, it does not fail to enchant!

The area is best known for its Tibetan restaurants and Tibetan market. There are various street shops that sell everything Tibetan. You can buy colourful tees, flip flops, jeans, shoes and bags from Rs 300 onwards. You can also shop posters of Tibetan deities, posters and figures of Dalai Lama, Tibetan pendants, Chinese and Korean movie CDs and DVDs, and all this for about Rs 100 – Rs 500. Girls can get regular and fake jwelleries at nominal price. Overall, the Majnu Ka Tila Tibetan Market is a great place to shop for souvenirs, apparels and accessories.

The story doesn’t ends here. Majnu Ka Tila is a Foodie’s paradise. The market and adjoining area has a number of eating options. The eateries here are not only popular for its momos, but you can enjoy authentic Tibetan delicacies. The restaurants at Majnu Ka Tila offers a vast variety of Chinese and Tibetan dishes.

Besides the plethora of small cafes and cosy restaurants, one comes across many vendors in nooks and crannies of the Camps elling a Tibetan street food called Lhafin. A visit to Mini Tibet is incomplete without this dish which is sold at a very reasonable price of twenty five rupees. Majnu ka Tilla is probably the only place in Delhi where you will find this unique Tibetan dish. It comprises of thin cornflour rolls cut into thin slices resembling noodles, submerged in a delicious soup. 

The soup is a commensurate amalgamation of ginger water, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and a few spices and appeals most to those with a titillating tongue. It’s a rather entertaining experience to observe as the vendor takes out the cornflour roll from a big container, slices it up with fascinating dexterity, pours in various amounts of different spices and sauces and finally serves you the dish in a bowl with chopsticks or forks as per your choice.

Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tilla Sahib is situated on Khyber Pass Road, Outer Ring Road, New Delhi on the banks of Yamuna river. A hermit named Majnu was the first Muslim disciple of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib ji (in Delhi). He converted his khanqah into a Shrine of Guru Nanak, which is known as Gurudwara Majnu-ka-Tilla.

The Gurudwara has a great historical importance, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji (1595-1644 A.D.) camped at Majnu Ka Tilla during his visit to Delhi. When Guru Hari Rai Sahib ji sent his son Ram Rai to explain the tenets of Sikhism to Aurangzeb, he stayed at Majnu Ka Tilla. In 1783 A.D. Sikh general S. Baghel Singh encamped here and had hoisted the Sikh flag on Red fort.

So come on out, experience Tibet in this bowlful of delectable flavours amidst an ambience of Buddhist chants and an omnipresent decoration of “Free Tibet” posters and wall graffiti.