Tulsi Vastra

The tulsi in the courtyard gets dressed like a member of the family — and in most homes the poshak she's wearing has been on there since last Diwali, sun-bleached to a pale pink that nobody quite gets around to replacing.

This is the replacement: two red cloths with a woven gold border, cut to wrap a tulsi pot or drape a chowki. The border is woven in rather than printed on, so it doesn't flake off after a season on a balcony.

Use it for

• Dressing the tulsi vrindavan for Kartik month and Tulsi Vivah
• Diwali and Navratri, when everything in the house gets changed over
• Draping the chowki or bajot under an idol
• Covering the kalash or the pooja thali during a longer ceremony

Good to know

• Set of 2 — one for the pot, one spare or for the chowki
• Red with gold border; colour holds through gentle washing
• Hand wash cold, dry in shade so the red doesn't fade
• Fits a standard tulsi pot; drape rather than a fitted cover