Calico Museum of Textiles

The Calico Museum of Textiles at Shahibaug, north Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, is widely regarded as India's leading textile museum. It was founded in 1949 by the Sarabhai family and is run by the Sarabhai Foundation from a historic haveli set in gardens off Airport Road. Access is by guided tour only, and visits must be registered online in advance for a fixed morning slot. The museum runs different tours, so a visitor typically sees one gallery group per booking. The collections include Mughal court textiles, Patan patola double-ikat silks, brocades, Pichhwai hangings made for Krishna temples, embroidery and tribal costume from across India. Guides explain weaving, dyeing and printing techniques and the trade that made western India a centre of cloth production. The adjoining haveli galleries display carved wooden architecture, screens and brackets that are a highlight in their own right, and the leafy grounds add to the calm. Tours run about two to two and a half hours, so visitors should plan the whole morning. Photography is not permitted inside, and bags and phones may need to be left at the entrance, so it helps to travel light. Group sizes are small and slots are limited, which keeps galleries uncrowded but means places fill quickly, especially in the cooler months from October to March. Very young children are generally not admitted, and the pace and subject matter suit adults and older students with an interest in craft, design or history. Entry is free, but registration and punctual arrival are essential, and latecomers may lose their slot. The museum publishes its closing days and available slots when registering. The site is about 20 minutes by auto-rickshaw from Kalupur, and the Shahibaug underpass on Airport Road is the easiest landmark for drivers.