Located mainly on avenue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, between La Chapelle metro station and Gare du Nord station, the neighborhood also extends into neighboring side streets.
If you're looking to discover Paris differently and in all its facets, Little India in the 10ᵉ arrondissement of Paris is the place to be, also known as Little Jaffna. This Indian and Sri Lankan neighborhood is a true hidden treasure of the city, offering a unique cultural experience that's sure to amaze.
Metro :
Gare du Nord lines 4 and 5
La Chapelle line 2
The history of Little India
Little Jaffna takes its name from the town and region in the north of the island of Sri Lanka from which the traders come. However, the locals call it the "Tamil Quarter". Indeed, as the Tamils of Sri Lanka share the same culture as those of southern India, the district has been named Little India. Tamil businesses are found here, but Tamil families live mainly in the suburbs (to the north).
What can you find there?
Most restaurants offer vegetarian cuisine, an integral part of Indian culture. Many, for religious reasons, forbid the consumption of animal products, especially among Hindus. Among Sikhs, milk, butter and cheese are permitted.
Restaurants offer a variety of tasty dishes, from spicy curries to delicious biryanis. If you're looking for a place to sample authentic dishes, we recommend the Saravanaa Bhavan restaurant, very popular with locals.
Shopkeepers sell saris, henna, plastic Buddhas, jewelry, exotic fruits and vegetables, flower necklaces and, of course, spices. Grocery stores also carry Indian cuisine ingredients that are hard to find elsewhere.
Not far from Little India, every year at the end of August/beginning of September (during the full moon), a huge float parade takes place, organized by the Hindu temple of Ganesh in Paris. The district is cordoned off and thousands of people stroll around. Many Tamils come to receive the blessings of the deities on the floats. This is the only official festival celebrating the god Ganesh (one of the most venerated gods of Hindu mythology). On other Indian festivals, retailers simply offer discounts.
Passage Brady
A little further south, between the Château d'Eau and Strasbourg Saint-Denis metro stations, right in the heart of a popular cosmopolitan neighborhood, lies another little corner of India in Paris. However, it's more Pakistani than Indian, hence its nickname Little Islamabad.
