The sarees of Ahmedabad
A great mill city with a rich craft heritage, and the home of museums and markets that show the textiles of Gujarat.
Motifs of Ahmedabad
Woven here
Best time: October to March.
Ahmedabad was a major textile city in the age of mills and still has a large cloth trade. It is also a place to see the textile crafts of Gujarat in one city, through museums, old market streets and block printing in nearby villages.
What is woven here
The old city markets sell Gujarat's textile range, including bandhani, patola-style cloth, block prints, embroidery and silk. The city once had hundreds of mills, and cotton cloth was its main product. Hand block printers and dyers still work in and around the city, and many saris and dress materials are printed here.
The craft and its people
Printers, dyers, embroiderers and weavers work in separate neighbourhoods and nearby villages. Craft bodies and design schools in the city support them and help find markets. The Self Employed Women's Association, a trade union for women workers, has long worked with embroiderers and printers in the state.
Seeing it
The Calico Museum of Textiles is well known for its collection of Indian textiles and requires booking for guided visits. Check current rules before planning. The old walled city has markets of cloth and thread, and a block-printing area lies beyond the river.
A trail idea for Ahmedabad
- Calico Museum of Textiles A large collection of Indian textiles, visited by guided tour that must be arranged ahead.
- Old city cloth markets Walk the lanes of the walled city where bandhani and printed cloth are sold.
- A block-printing workshop Ask a local guide to arrange a visit to see wooden blocks stamped and cloth washed.
Written by the EveryPallu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Ahmedabad" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and workshops change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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