Kristie5701 at 04:33, 5 August 2025

2025-08-05T04:33:47Z

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[[File:Majnu ka tilla monastery.jpg|thumb|280x280px|Buddhist site in Samyeling Tibetan Colony or Majnu ka tilla]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Majnu-ka-tilla
| other_name = New Aruna Nagar Colony, Samyeling
| settlement_type = [[neighbourhoods of Delhi|Neighborhood of Delhi]]
| image_skyline = View from rooftop in Majnu-ka-tilla.jpg
| image_caption = View from rooftop in Majnu-ka-tilla
| image_flag =
| image_seal =
| image_map = Majnu-ka-tilla.png
| map_caption = Location of Majnu-ka-tilla in Delhi
| coordinates = {{coord|28.70137|77.22816|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Delhi]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[North Delhi]]
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 1960
| leader_party =
| leader_title =
| leader_name =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_footnotes = <ref name=klieger/>
| population_total = 2,500
| population_as_of = 2000
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|Pincode(s)]]
| postal_code = <ref name=ud/>
| area_code_type =
| area_code = [[Telephone numbers in India|+91 11]]
| iso_code =
}}
[[File:New Aruna-Nagar Tibetan settlement, Delhi.jpg|thumb|280px|New Aruna-Nagar Tibetan settlement, Delhi]]
'''Majnu-ka-tilla''' ('''MKT''') is a colony in [[Delhi]], [[India]] that was established around 1950.{{#tag:ref|''[[Express India]]'' writes that it was founded in 1959,<ref name=express/> while ''[[The Times of India]]'' writes that it was founded in 1962.<ref name=evictionissue>{{cite news|last=Sharma|first=Nidhi|title=Majnu ka tilla eviction issue: Govt won't give up on 'Little Tibet'|url=http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=13443&t=1|newspaper=[[Times of India]]|date=5 August 2006|archive-date=4 October 2012|access-date=20 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004092140/http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=13443&t=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>|group="note"}} Majnu-ka-tilla is officially called '''New Aruna Nagar Colony''',<ref>{{cite news|title=Get a taste of Tibet in Delhi|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1006393151.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315194012/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1006393151.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 March 2016|newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=19 March 2006}}</ref> '''Chungtown''',<ref name=express/> and '''Samyeling'''.<ref name=diary/> It is part of [[North Delhi district]] and is located at the bank of the [[Yamuna River]] (NH-1) near [[Inter State Bus Terminals|ISBT]] [[Kashmiri Gate (Delhi)|Kashmiri Gate]].

==History==

===15th-18th century: Sikh period ===
{{see also | Sikh attacks on Delhi }}

The historic name of the area literally means ''the hillock of Majnu'', after the ''tilla'' or [[mound]] where during the reign of [[Sikandar Lodhi]] (r. 1489–1517) on [[Delhi Sultanate]], a local Iranian [[Sufi]] mystic Abdulla, nicknamed [[Majnu]] (lost in love), met first [[Sikh Guru]], [[Guru Nanak Dev]] Ji on 20 July 1505. Majnu ferried people across the Yamuna river for free as a service to God, his devotion resulted in the guru Ji staying here till the end of July.<ref name=sikhm1/>

The sixth Sikh guru, [[Guru Hargobind|Guru Har Gobind]] (r. 1606-1644) also stayed here.<ref name=sikhm1/>

In 1783, Sikh military leader [[Baghel Singh|Baghel Singh Dhaliwal]] built the Majnu ka Tila [[Gurdwara|Gurudwara]] to commemorate the stay of Guru Nanak Dev.<ref name=sikhm1/>

Today it is one of oldest extant Sikh shrines in Delhi and the surrounding estate of donated by early 19th-century Sikh emperor, [[Ranjit Singh]].<ref name=sikhm1>{{cite news |title=A Gurdwara steeped in history |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/A-Gurdwara-steeped-in-history/articleshow/10552745.cms |work=The Times of India |date=25 Mar 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Majnu ka Tila and the romance of sepak takraw |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/majnu-ka-tila-and-the-romance-of-sepak-takraw/823358/0 |publisher= Indian Express|date= 28 Jul 2011}}</ref><ref name=ht13/>

===19th-20th century: British colonial period ===
{{see also | British raj}}

Majnu Ka Tilla area has three main residential settlements with total 3000–3500 homes, Aruna Nagar, New Aruna Nagar and Old Chandrawal village, which was built up in the early 1900s, when [[British Raj|British government]] settled labourers involved in the construction of the [[Secretariat Building, New Delhi|Central Secretariat]] buildings, during the construction of the [[New Delhi]]. The next round of settlement came post-independence in 1958-59 when Aruna Nagar was developed by the Land and Development wing of the [[Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs|Ministry of Urban Development]] as it disburses 925 plots of 40 sq. yard each, to people resettled here from various parts of North Delhi. The Tibetan refugee camp later named New Aruna Nagar developed after 1960.<ref name=ht13>{{Cite news| title =Happiness and discontentment| url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/realestate/happiness-and-discontentment/story-qMvFwXD59srE8S5UGkkFRO.html|newspaper =Hindustan Times|date =19 March 2013|accessdate = 25 June 2013 }}</ref>

===1950 onwards: Tibetan refugee settlement===

Just as Aruna Nagar was developing, the [[1959 Tibetan uprising]] took place in March, most residents of Majnu-ka-tilla left [[Tibet]] in 1959–60, when the [[14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]] too went into exile to [[Dharamshala]]. Soon, a small Tibetan refugee camp up across the road, on the [[Yamuna River|Yamuna]] riverbed.<ref name=klieger/><ref name=ht13/> The land was allotted by the Government of India to the refugees in 1960.<ref name=dda>{{cite web |title=Suggestion of Masterplan Review 2021 (RWA Letter)|url=http://dda.org.in/planning/suggestions/Dy.No.3855.MPR.DDA.pdf |date= |publisher=Delhi Development Authority (DDA) |accessdate=25 June 2013}}</ref> After the [[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962, many of the refugees who had previously settled temporarily near the Indo-Chinese border shifted here.<ref name=ht13/> Today, it is home to second generation of Tibet refugees and is also known as Samyeling, through colloquially as "Little-Tibet" or "Mini-Tibet".<ref name="timeso13">{{Cite news| title =Lull before Li storm in 'Little Tibet'|author=Jayashree Nandi|url =http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Lull-before-Li-storm-in-Little-Tibet/cwgarticleshow/20058064.cms|newspaper= The Times of India | date =15 May 2013 | accessdate = 25 June 2013 }}</ref><ref name=htimes11/>
[[File:Tempa Tsering 2013.jpg|thumbnail|[[Tempa Tsering]], <small>Representative of [[14th Dalai Lama]] to New Delhi and member [[Tibetan Government in Exile]], speaking at a gathering, Majnu Ka Tilla, 2013</small>|280x280px]]
The legal status of Majnu-ka-tilla has previously come into dispute. In 1995, residents were "given a formal assurance from the Centre" that they would be allowed to remain at the site until the international dispute over Tibet was settled.<ref name=evictionissue/> In June 2006, the colony was served a court-issued notice indicating that it would be demolished in connection with the Delhi government's road expansion and [[Yamuna River]] beautification plan.<ref>{{cite news|title=Majnu-ka-tilla finally gets court notice on demolition|url=http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=12899&t=0|date=15 June 2006|newspaper=[[Phayul]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Dickyi|first=Tenzin|title=Can we still save Majnu-ka-tilla?|url=http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=13796&t=1|newspaper=[[Phayul]]|date=8 September 2006}}</ref> At least two buildings were demolished in connection with this order.<ref name=diary/> As of 2012, however, a court order had avoided eviction, regularising the status of the colony.<ref>{{cite web|title=Delhi court order brings relief to Tibetans|url=http://tibet.net/2012/09/17/delhi-court-order-brings-relief-to-tibetans-in-majnu-ka-tilla/|publisher=[[Central Tibetan Administration]]|accessdate=20 November 2012|date=17 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Delhi Tibetan colony to be regularized|url=http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/content/article/1497309.html|accessdate=20 November 2012|newspaper=[[Voice of America]] Tibetan|date=26 August 2012}}</ref> In March 2013, [[Government of Delhi]] included New Aruna Nagar (Tibetan refugee camp) in its list of 895 "to-be-regularised colonies".<ref name=ht13/>

The refugee colony experienced widespread flooding in 2010 rainy season, as a result many of the residents took reinforcement measure in their buildings.<ref name="tm">{{Cite news | title = 3 yrs on, flood in mini Tibet | url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-20/delhi/40093203_1_river-water-water-level-yamuna | archive-date = 4 October 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004005001/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-20/delhi/40093203_1_river-water-water-level-yamuna | date =20 Jun 2013 | url-status = dead | work = [[The Times of India]] | accessdate = 26 June 2013 }}</ref> On 20 June 2013, during the [[2013 North India floods|North India floods]], the Yamuna river breached its banks and inundated numerous houses in the low-lying area. They remained partially submerged for several days, and people shifted to upper floors or to relief camps. The floods also lead to power outages and water shortages, raising concerns of health hazards.<ref name="toi13">{{Cite news|title = Water recedes, disease threat looms| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-21/delhi/40118748_1_relief-camps-drinking-water-geeta-colony-bridge | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130625044724/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-21/delhi/40118748_1_relief-camps-drinking-water-geeta-colony-bridge | url-status = dead | archive-date = 25 June 2013 | date =21 Jun 2013 |newspaper = [[The Times of India]]| accessdate = 26 June 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| title =Delhi: Yamuna continues to flow over danger mark| url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NorthIndiaRainFury2013/Delhi-Yamuna-continues-to-flow-over-danger-mark/Article1-1079354.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130620133831/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NorthIndiaRainFury2013/Delhi-Yamuna-continues-to-flow-over-danger-mark/Article1-1079354.aspx | url-status = dead | archive-date = 20 June 2013 | publisher = Hindustan Times | date =20 June 2013 | accessdate = 26 June 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Health hazards loom large | url = http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1852307/report-health-hazards-loom-large |newspaper = DNA India | date = 24 Jun 2013 | accessdate = 26 June 2013 }}</ref>

==Economy==
The economy of Majnu-ka-tilla centres around hotels, guest-houses and restaurants.<ref name=diary>{{cite web|last=Samphel|first=Thubten|title=Dharamshala diary: Majnu Ka Tilla re-visited|url=http://tibet.net/2006/09/dharamshala-diary/|newspaper=[[TibetNet]]|date=13 September 2006|publisher=[[Central Tibetan Administration]]|accessdate=20 November 2012|archive-date=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027231622/http://tibet.net/2006/09/dharamshala-diary/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another important aspect of the economy is home rentals as a large population is cramped in closely built houses, several floors high and approachable through narrow bylanes.<ref name=ht13/> In addition, there is a market of retail stalls, including bookshops, curio shops, metalsmiths, and a beauty parlor; internet cafes, and travel agencies.<ref name=express/><ref name=diary/> The neighborhood is extremely popular among foreign and domestic tourists. The location is close to popular universities of Delhi like Delhi University and Ambedkar University. Thus students comprises a large tourists demography of this area.<ref name=express>{{cite news|last=Yambem|first=Miranda|title=Footloose in Little Lhasa|url=http://www.phayul.com/mobile/?page=view&c=1&id=8721|accessdate=4 January 2005|newspaper=[[Indian Express]]|author2=Amrita Tripathi|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223529/http://www.phayul.com/mobile/?page=view&c=1&id=8721|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Culture ==
Majnu-ta-killa houses a monastery and Buddhist temple, preaching the Tibetan-Buddhism. The Saka Dewa, Losar, Birthday of Dalai Lama are most famous festivities celebrated here.<ref name=ht13/><ref name=htimes11>{{Cite news | title = Delhi's mini Tibet: Majnu Ka Tilla|author=Isha Gupta| url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Entertainment/Delhi-s-mini-Tibet-Majnu-Ka-Tilla/Article1-710913.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121128090719/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Entertainment/Delhi-s-mini-Tibet-Majnu-Ka-Tilla/Article1-710913.aspx | url-status = dead | archive-date = 28 November 2012 |newspaper=Hindustan Times| date =18 June 2011| accessdate = 25 June 2013 }}</ref>

==Demographics==
The colony had approximately 2,500 residents in 378 family groups as of 2000.<ref name=klieger>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Klieger|first= Paul Christiaan|editor= Paul Christiaan Klieger|encyclopedia= Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the IATS, 2000 - Tibet, Self, and the Tibetan Diaspora: Voices of Difference|title=Engendering Tibet: Power, Self, and Change in the Diaspora |year= 2002|publisher= [[Brill Publishers]]|isbn= 978-90-04-12555-1|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gdGubgTGIDcC&pg=PA142 142–145, 149]}}</ref> Residents have strong ethnic identification: in one survey of young adult recent arrivals from Tibet and young adult children of Tibetan refugees in Majnu-ka-tilla, all identified as 100% Tibetan, nearly all wanted to marry Tibetans, and around 60% said that 80% or more of their friends were Tibetan.<ref name=klieger/>

Most importantly this place is famous for free education, career counselling and social welfare by Mr. Purushottam Dass who is a social activist and well wisher of Human Development.

==Administration==
Administratively, it falls under the [[Civil Lines, Delhi|Civil Lines]] subdivision of the [[North Delhi district]] of NCT Delhi.<ref name=ud>{{cite web |title=List of applicant unauthorized colonies: Sl. no.106, rgn no. 111 |url=http://ud.delhigovt.nic.in/1639%20UC%20LIST.pdf |date= |publisher=Govt. Of NCT. Of Delhi, Urban Development Department |accessdate=25 June 2013 |archive-date=31 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031122157/http://ud.delhigovt.nic.in/1639%20UC%20LIST.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Transport==
The area lies on a stretch of the [[National Highway 1 (India)|National Highway 1]], which is part of the historic [[Grand Trunk Road]] and the [[Outer Ring Road, Delhi|Outer Ring Road]] of Delhi. It is at a walkable distance from ISBT Kashmere Gate.
It is approachable through the [[Kashmere Gate (Delhi Metro)|Kashmeri Gate]] station of the [[Delhi Metro]], lies on the [[Red Line (Delhi Metro)|Red]] ([[New Bus Adda]]-[[Rithala (Delhi Assembly constituency)|Rithala]]), [[Violet Line (Delhi Metro)|Violet]] ([[Escorts Mujesar metro station|Escorts Mujesar]] - Kashmere Gate) and [[Yellow Line (Delhi Metro)|Yellow Lines]] ([[Samaypur Badli metro station|Samaypur Badli]] - [[HUDA City Centre metro station|HUDA City Centre]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/delhi/delhi-metro-yellow-line-map.html | title=Delhi Metro Yellow Line Map | publisher=Maps of India | accessdate=30 May 2018 }}</ref> It is a [[Interchange station|transfer station]] between the Red Line on the highest upper level and the Yellow Line on the lowest level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delhimetrorail.com/commuters/station_information.html |title=Station Information |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619035828/http://delhimetrorail.com/commuters/station_information.html |archivedate=2010-06-19 }}</ref> The [[Vidhan Sabha metro station]] is 1.5 km away.<ref name=ht13/>

==Notes==
<references group="note" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://delhi.gov.in/DoIT/DOIT/DOIT_UDD/Images/111.JPG Map of Majnu Ka Tila] Government of Delhi

[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Delhi]]
[[Category:Tibetan diaspora in India]]
[[Category:Refugees in India]]
[[Category:North Delhi district]]

Majnu Ka Tilla - Revision history

Kristie5701 at 04:33, 5 August 2025