The Calico Mills, established in 1880 by the Sarabhai family, were among the first power-loom textile mills in India and the foundation of the modern Ahmedabad economy at a time when the city was known as the Manchester of the East. The mills closed in 1998 after years of decline, and the buildings now stand as a brick-and-iron ruin on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati, awaiting redevelopment.
The ruins are not officially open to the public but can be seen from the surrounding streets and are a recurring subject of conservation debates. Several other mill chimneys around the city — at Asarwa, Saraspur, and Rakhial — remain as urban landmarks of Ahmedabad's industrial age.