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During the last ten years four Dhodias have built
houses with Mangalore tiles. One of them did it with
a sum borrowed from the local Go-operative Credit So-
ciety ; another from his savings in railway service and
two others partly from savings, and partly by borrowing.
The notion that a family has a high status if it owns a
house roofed with Mangalore tiles seems to be filtering
down, even to these tribes, from their constant associa-
tion with the fair races.
One of the most remarkable characteristics of their
dwellings is an extra structure attached to every cottage.
This is a crude platform made of bamboos, about 3 feet
in height and 4X4 feet in area. All the waterpots of
the family are stacked one upon another, on this platform,
and are never kept inside the house.
The Ujaliparaj House : The houses vary in size,
shape and also in building material because their owners
belong to many different castes differing in wealth. In
general the depressed classes, Bharwads, a few Machhis
and a few Kolis live in small cottages. Others have
fairly large houses. Among the advanced and literate
classes like the Anavil Brahmins, the Banias, Mahomme-
dans, Parsis and Christians and a large number of Kolis,
the houses are covered with local tiles. Eight of these
houses are roofed with Mangalore tiles. These houses
resemble more those found in cities. Even in this case
only a few have cattle-sheds away from the dwelling
place of the owners. A majority of these stay in the
village site. Some, however, who originally dwelt on
their farms in the falias are found separated from this
group. A large number of Kolis reside along with the
Kaliparaj in the falias. It is interesting to note that
some of these have imitated their Kaliparaj neighbours
e.g. they have a structure attached to their dwellings for
keeping water-pots.
Renting of houses : Renting of houses is rare in this
village. However, a few instances were found in which