shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia

in the Kumaon hills, an hour east of Nainital

Kainchi Dham

— — the road bends twice, the ashram holds still.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“A small Hanuman temple and ashram on a stream in Uttarakhand's Kumaon hills, founded by Neem Karoli Baba in 1964. The name comes from the two hairpin bends in the road below; kainchi means scissors. The annual bhandara on 15 June draws thousands; most other days the courtyard is quiet, the stream loud, the bell rung at the right hours.

from the studio

— bring it home

Kainchi Dham, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Kainchi Dham

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Kainchi Dham is an ashram and Hanuman temple in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, India, about 17 kilometres east of Nainital on the road to Almora. The complex was established in 1964 by the Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, known to his Western devotees as Maharaj-ji. The name kainchi, Hindi for scissors, refers to the two sharp hairpin bends in the road just below the ashram. A small stream, the Shipra, runs through the grounds. The temple sits at roughly 1,400 metres elevation in the foothills of the lower Himalayas.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the year

The temple's main day of the year is 15 June, the anniversary of the murti's installation in 1964, when a bhandara draws thousands of pilgrims who are served free food from the ashram kitchen. The annual festival closes the Almora road for the day. Outside the festival, the ashram is open to visitors from morning to early evening, with quiet hours at midday. The summer monsoon between July and September brings landslides on the Almora road and occasional short closures.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the visit

Most visitors come from Nainital, a 45-minute drive east along Highway 109A. The ashram opens daily from morning to early evening; photography inside the temple is not permitted, and silence is asked of those who enter. There are no overnight stays for casual visitors. Western interest in the site grew after Steve Jobs visited as a young man in 1974, and again after Mark Zuckerberg's reported visit in 2008 on the recommendation of Jobs. The ashram itself takes no part in either story.

— informed by Wikipedia

— where

India · Nainital district, Uttarakhand

— elevation

1,400 m · 4,593 ft

— position

29.4600° N · 79.6200° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

17 km W

Nainital

hill station

9 km W

Bhowali

junction town

35 km E

Almora

hill town

Kainchi Dham

Nainital

Bhowali

Almora

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Kainchi Dham — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, known to his Western devotees as Maharaj-ji, established the ashram and its Hanuman temple in 1964 on a small stream in Uttarakhand's Kumaon hills.

Scissors, in Hindi. The name refers to the two sharp hairpin bends in the road below the ashram, which cross like the blades of a pair of scissors when viewed from above.

15 June, the anniversary of the temple murti's installation in 1964. The bhandara draws thousands of pilgrims, and the ashram serves free food from its kitchen to everyone who comes.

Steve Jobs visited in 1974 as a young traveller. Mark Zuckerberg later spoke of visiting in 2008 on Jobs's recommendation. Both stories drew quiet Western attention to the site.

By road from Nainital, about 17 kilometres east on Highway 109A, a 45-minute drive. The nearest railway is Kathgodam, 55 kilometres south, and Pantnagar is the closest airport.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. People who walked the courtyard or sat by the stream often hold a quiet attachment to the place. A Small or Medium reads on a meditation shelf; a Coaster keeps a daily reminder close.

Warm minimalist, jewel-tone South Asian, and Japandi rooms with a spiritual leaning. The reds and forest greens pair with raw wood, undyed cotton, and aged brass on a low altar.

The piece holds the quiet that Japandi rooms ask for, with a colour palette warmer than Scandinavian-only schemes. A Small on a console or a Medium above a writing desk reads cleanly.

A Large covers a standard sofa; a 4-tile Mural reads above a long console; a 9-tile Mural fills a meditation-room wall. A Keepsake holds well at bedside.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes resist scratches and steam, and the colour lives inside the ceramic so humidity does not affect it.

— if this one stayed with you