India's handmade textiles are woven into the continent's history and can be traced back at least 6,000 years.  Styles and techniques, colours and motifs differ from region to region, each speaking of local resources, climate, populations and beliefs, from the golden silks of Assam to the fine cottons of Bengal and the red dyes of southeast India.

Textile travel specialists ECT Travel have curated two special interest holidays interwoven with experiences designed to immerse travellers in the vibrant textile traditions of north and south India.

A Grand Quilting & Textile Tour in North India

Unravel India's 6,000-year textile legacy from Gujarat's vibrant Ajrakh block-prints to Rajasthan's shimmering bandhani silks on this 15-day holiday.

Highlights include:

• Meeting textile collector Salim Wazir whose family has been collecting antique embroideries, block prints, clothes, costumes and other rare textiles from all over the Indian sub-continent for over half a century.
• Spending a day with master artisan, Ramji Devraj. From the Meghwal community, Ramji blended childhood leatherworking skills with the intricate embroidered quilts his family crafted for dowries, starting his first at the age of 12. Today, this globally celebrated artist (a regular at Santa Fe's Folk Art Market) leads a family business employing 250 local women across three workshops.
• Visiting the Calico Museum, home to the finest and most comprehensive collection of Indian textiles in the world.
• Learning how to make a quilt Bhuji-style at two, day-long workshops.
• Visiting an artisan who makes the holy cloth, 'Mata Ni Pachedi'.
• Learning how to make a Ralli quilt at a day-long workshop in the Gujarati village of Chandelao.

Dates: Saturday 14th - Saturday 28th November 2026; Saturday 6th - Saturday 20th February 2027

India International Quilt Festival 2027 & A Journey into the Textile Heritage of Southern India

This 14-day holiday is a rare opportunity to take a deep dive into both India's contemporary quilt movement and the ancient textile roots of the continent's southern states.

The programme begins in Chennai for the India International Quilt Festival, a spectacular showcase of contemporary quilt art, and then travels slowly south to the textile trading hub of Madurai. The journey is filled with carefully curated experiences, including cultural highlights, artisan visits and hands-on workshops that together reveal the living heritage behind south India's textiles.

Highlights include:

• Spending two mornings exploring the India International Quilt Festival 2027.
• Meeting contemporary quilt artists, seeing their work and talking to them about their techniques and traditions.
• Listening to a talk from textile artist Chitra Mandanna, winner of the first edition of IIQF.
• Learning about traditional Indian textile craft with curated visits to makers.
• Shopping for incredible fabrics and trimmings.
• Visiting ethical fashion brand Upasana Design Studio and meeting with its founder.
• Visiting Kanchipuram, famous for its silk saris.
• Visiting handloom weavers in the village of Kaithari Nagar, near Madurai, who craft Sungudi sarees, woven from cotton; a distinctive tradition awarded a Geographical Indication Tag 
• The option to extend the adventure with onward travel to Kerala or Karnataka

Dates: Wednesday 20th January - Tuesday 2nd February 2027; Extension to Kerala: Monday 1st - Sunday 7th February 2027; Extension to Karnataka: Monday 1st - Sunday 7th February 2027

Designed for small groups, these slow adventures offer travellers an opportunity to connect with India's people and culture through its textiles, old and new. Makers will relish the opportunity to learn new techniques, but these holidays will appeal to everyone who is curious to learn more about India. Fabric, after all, is a universal language.

For more information and images, please contact Charlotte Abrahams

About ECT Travel

We are a team of travel professionals and passionate, curious travellers and are proud to have been creating inspiring holiday programmes all over the world since 1993. Small group sizes ensure the people who travel with us have the very best experience, with time for conversations with local experts, space to explore off the beaten track and opportunities to fully immerse themselves in every activity. We take pride in looking after the people who travel with us, and we guarantee a personal service every step of the way.