KORI/ KOLI claim to have originated from a Brahman king. The name Kori has been derived from the Kol caste, and they are assumed to be an offshoot of the Koli. Weaving has been the traditional occupation of the society, But the society is also involved in agriculture. Besides, some are also engaged in skilled and unskilled labour and are employed in different government and private services.

In Utter Pradesh the Society is divided into twelve endogamous subgroups, namely Aharwar, Banbata, Dhiman, Haldiha, Jaiswar, Kabir Panthi, Kaithia, Kamalvanshi, Kamariha, Mahaure, Sakyawar and Shankhwar and these subgroups are of equivalent status in relation to one another. Each of these subgroups is divided into exogamous gottras such as Chachondia, Kashmore, Khirwar, Kotharia, etc.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Kori are distributed in Indore, Khargone, Khandwa, Dhar and Ujjan districts. In Maharashtra, the Kori believe that they have descended from Maharishi Kashyap. According to another version, the ancestor of the Kori was born out of the union of Kabir with a Brahman girl. They are believed to have migrated from Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh to their present habitat. Society distributed in Bhandara, Nagpur and Amaravat district.

In Orissa, the Kori are also called Koli, Koly and Kuli Malhar and are distributed all over the state but their major concentration in Mayurbhanj district. They are divided into different non-hierarchical gotra, namely Bagha, Chaula, Bela, Sadasa, Gangalawa, Nageswar, etc. Patra, Kaur and Behera are their surnames.

In Rajasthan, the Koli are a traditional weaving community who are now engaged in agriculture and other jobs to earn their living. They are also known as Kori, Koria and Bunkar in different parts of Rajasthan and Koria is a phonetic variation of Kori. They are concentrated in the SawaiMadhopur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Bundi, Bharatpur, Karoli, Dausa, Tonk and Alwar districts. A considerable number of Koli, Kori are returned from urban areas. The Koli in Rajasthan are divided into different subgroups such as Mahawar, Sakwar, KabirPanthi, Rathda, etc. However, Mahawar, Sakwar and others can inter-marry. These subgroups are further divided into several exogamous clans like Kathnalya, Nahwan, Kajotya, Rajorya, Katariya, Morwal, Godariya, Dewatwal, Nepalpuriya, Bharwal etc.

In Delhi, the Koli are migrants from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. They are also known as Kili, Bunkar, Tantubai, Kori, Kapre or Kaperdiya and Mahar Kili. They are concentrated in Gaoshalla, Nandnagri, Dakshinpur, Sawan Park, Kotla, Mubarakpur, Madangiri, Ashram, Paharganj and Sadar.

Society speak in the different dialects of the Indo-Aryan language, Hindi, Malvi, Nimadi Local languages and use the Devanagari script. For inter-group communication too, they use the Hindi and Local languages. The Koli have begun sending their children to schools and colleges and have made good progress in the field of education.