Stay in exotic locations immersed in tribal textiles of India. Our itineraries give you ample opportunity to study and discuss a broad range of contemporary and historic textiles including silk and cotton saris, mirror embroidery, ikat, tie-dye, wood block printing, and vegetable dyeing. Meet directly with artisans in their workshops. We start with India's long textile tradition by visiting the Calico Museum of Textiles in Ahmedabad, with its five centuries of the finest textiles that were spun, woven, printed, and painted in different parts of India.
India has a diverse and rich textile tradition. The origin of Indian textiles can be traced to the Indus valley civilization.
India had numerous trade links with the outside world and Indian textiles were popular in the ancient world. Indian silk was popular in Rome in the early centuries of the Christian era. Hoards of fragments of cotton material originating from Gujarat have been found in the Egyptian tombs at Fostat, belonging to 5th century A.D. Cotton textiles were also exported to China during the heydays of the silk route.
The past traditions of the textile and handlooms can still be seen amongst the motifs, patterns, designs and the old techniques of weaving, still employed by the weavers.