The Calico Museum of Textiles

The Calico Museum of Textiles showcases India’s rich textile heritage and rare fabric collections. The museum is well-maintained and informative, but entry is strictly guided and time-bound, which some visitors find restrictive. It is best enjoyed by those with a strong interest in art and history.

Amazing experience outstanding collection of Indian and Mughal textiles and outstanding collection of Indian and Mughal miniatures you can't describe experience you have in the museum of you are interested in indian history. Smartly curated outstandingly collection of Indian wood works too they provide tea and snacks too and guided tour too You have to registration for visit first and then they mailed you confirmation if they want to let you see the museum but it's a marvelous amazing experience.

I had a very disappointing experience with the security staff at the Calico Textile Museum. When I said I came to visit, he kept questioning me in a rude manner (“Which museum? What museum?”), and after unnecessary back-and-forth, he simply said it was not the time to visit. When I asked for guidance on how to see the museum, he pointed to a wall and told me to read the board. The same behavior was repeated with another family, who even recorded a video of it. This kind of treatment towards visitors is very unwelcoming and leaves a poor impression of such a prestigious institution. The museum itself may be worth visiting, but the management should seriously address this issue with their staff.

I for one enjoyed the experience thoroughly. Unlike what others have said I found the process of registering for the tour quite straight forward. We turned up at the museum and were politely turned away and told we had to register for the tour. Registered for the next day and received an email immediately. The guide was knowledgeable and also was able to keep the flock together and complete the tour in the allotted time. The tea and boiled groundnuts at the end of the tour was a welcome gesture... specially as it was a free tour! Kudos to the museum for a well kept and tastefully done display.

This museum has an exquisite collection and the effort being put in to preserve the textiles is nothing short of commendable. I also liked that they gave some tea and snacks at the end. All of that being said, the explanation about all the pieces and techniques was almost absent. The guide was focused on what the art form meant for them personally and the mythological stories which is admirable but I would have liked instead more information about the art forms themselves, the techniques, what it meant for the people who made them, if there were any political or social implications etc. The little information you get is written down but I was rushed through it so I couldn't read it. Made me question if people are not supposed to read it why is it there. The guide also seemed irritated with my questions about the techniques. I do understand that it is a private collection and the museum can decide the narrative but I do find it a pity that such a great collection is not explained with the full glory it deserves. It is still a great place to look at the different textile pieces.

An exquisite museum of Indian textiles, set in a beautiful and serene tree lined compound. The textiles and garments are presented in a very attractive manner so as to cause a real sensory overload. It was a guided tour led by a woman who's narrative was a mix of pedantic and dramatic! And she wore a mask which muffled her voice and made it difficult to follow her explanation. I believe the tours tend to fill up fast so one needs to book early. Photography is strictly forbidden both in the garden as well as the museum. In fact, we were asked to deposit our phones at the entrance! I could not understand the rationale behind this outdated rule. Even the best and the greatest mjuseums around the world do not have this restriction. I would have loved to carry back memories of the museum and its gardens with a few pictures but that was not to be. The management should review this antiquated policy and perhaps get a guide who's narrative is more contemporary and not so archaic.

Amazing collection of textiles with eccentric and knowledgeable guide. Make sure to book in advance and turn up on time. You get a two hour slot, which isn’t really enough time to explore all of the work properly but it’s well worth the experience. Free to enter.

This is a beautiful collection yet presentation could be so much better! There is almost zero contextual information associated with each piece. Our guide did no justice to the collection; in fact she presented twisted, allegorical, and often incorrect narratives which confused her audience. Still, this is a lovely collection, worth visiting if you have your own sense of textiles and history and are not expecting to get it from the tour.