Calico Museum of Textiles

The Calico Museum of Textiles is India's leading museum of fabric and dress, founded in 1949 by Gautam Sarabhai and Gira Sarabhai of the Sarabhai family, the textile-industry dynasty of Ahmedabad. It is housed in the Sarabhai Foundation compound at Shahibaug, in a traditional haveli, a 19th-century merchant mansion, with carved wooden facades, courtyards and pillared galleries. Before the museum was created, the family collected textiles from across the subcontinent, and it grew into a study collection covering several centuries. The permanent holdings include Mughal court textiles, richly woven brocades and embroidered hangings, Patan patola double-ikat silks from Gujarat, Pichhwai temple hangings from Nathdwara, block-printed and painted cottons, shawls, and costumes of tribal and folk communities. A separate gallery known as the Haveli of Sarabhai displays carved woodwork, and a further section presents Jain manuscripts, sculpture and bronzes. The presentation is thematic and chronological, tracing textile techniques such as weaving, dyeing, printing and embroidery, and their patronage by courts, temples and trade. Access is by guided visit only: small groups are led through the galleries in fixed morning sessions, and visitors must register in advance online. Photography is not permitted inside, and the tours are conducted in a quiet, scholarly manner with limited time in each gallery. The museum has maintained the collection through conservation work in the haveli and in its own laboratories, and the objects are shown in controlled conditions. The mansion itself is well preserved and forms part of the interest of the visit. Admission is free, but places are limited and often fill quickly, so planning ahead is essential. The museum is closed on certain days and during holidays, and the schedule is published at registration. The Calico Museum is not a browsing museum, but a focused, guided experience suited to visitors with an interest in textile history, craft and design.