Karol Bagh

Karol Bagh (also spelled Qarol Bagh, pronounced [qəroːl baːɣ]) is a neighborhood in Central District of Delhi, India. It is a mixed residential and commercial neighborhood known for shopping streets, such as the Ghaffar Market and Ajmal Khan Road.

It was home to the Karol Bagh Lok Sabha constituency until it was abolished in 2008.

Residential areas W.E.A, Beadon Pura, Reghar Pura, Dev Nagar, and Bapa Nagar have a mix of commercial activities such as wholesale markets Tank Road Garment Market and Hardhyan Singh Road Leather market.

Tank Road wholesale garment market came into existence with a few shopkeepers at the end of the 1980s. It offers multiple stores for ethnic women's wear i.e. suits, sarees, and lehengas.

The name Karol Bagh, also spelled Qarol Bagh, derives from the Hindi-Urdu words "Qarol" (क़रोल, قرول) meaning "curved like green chilly" and "Bagh" (बाग़, باغ) meaning "garden". The place was named for the numerous herbal gardens in the area.

In the 1920s, the villages of Madhoganj, Jaisingh Pura, Raja ka Bazaar, and others were evacuated to build Connaught Place and nearby areas. The villagers were relocated once to the west of Karol Bagh, then to a second rocky area populated by trees and bushes.

Karol Bagh was primarily populated with Muslims until the mass exodus to Pakistan at the time of the Partition of India in 1947, which also resulted in an influx of refugees from West Punjab and Sindh, many of whom were traders. There is a sizable Marathi-speaking population, a Tamil-speaking population, and a large Bengali community, most of whom are employed in jewellery manufacturing. Karol Bagh hosts one of the oldest Durga Puja in the city.

There were incidents at Karol Bagh during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, including burning of shops. Karol Bagh was the target of a terrorist bomb blast in Ghaffar Market in October 2008.