Timber, bamboo, thatch, and clay were the materials used to build Koli houses in the past. Concrete, cement, and ceramic tiles have mostly replaced these, although some old houses still feature wooden architecture.
Koli households commonly place the Tulsi planter at the entrance as a religious decoration. They come in a variety of materials, designs, and sizes. The plant is considered an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulsi (or Vrinda), who is an avatar of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and the consort of Lord Vishnu. Therefore, the offering of Tulsi leaves is part of the ritual worship of Vishnu and his avatars, like Krishna and Vithoba.
The women in the household are often responsible for offering puja. Rituals involve watering the plant, purifying the space around the plant with water and cow dung, and making offerings of food, flowers, incense, gangajal (water of the River Ganga), etc. In the evening, arati (the ritual of offering the sacred fire) is conducted around the Tulsi plant.
The presence of a Tulsi plant at the entrance of the home is believed to ward off evil spirits and negative energies and provide spiritual protection to the household. Even the soil around the plant is considered holy.
The unique designs of Tulsi planters have an individual stamp of creativity, indicative of the family’s social status, traditional means of livelihood, and idiosyncratic style.