Wender·Vista
Kurnool
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia
on the Tungabhadra, in the Rayalaseema country of Andhra Pradesh

Kurnool

— — a river-town the dry country leans against.

— 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
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— 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 city on the south bank of the Tungabhadra, where the river takes a slow bend before its meeting with the Krishna. The Konda Reddy fort still keeps the old gate above the water. Kurnool was the first capital of Andhra State for a short window in the 1950s, then handed the role to Hyderabad and went back to being a river town. The country around it is dry granite, and the river is the thing the city is built to face.

from the studio
Kurnool
— bring it home

Kurnool, 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 Kurnool

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

Kurnool sits on the south bank of the Tungabhadra River in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, about 215 kilometres south of Hyderabad. The city was the first capital of Andhra State from 1953 to 1956, before the role passed to Hyderabad after the formation of Andhra Pradesh. The 2011 census recorded a city population of around 460,000. The land around the city is granite-hill country, and the Tungabhadra meets the Krishna a short distance downstream at Sangameswaram.

— the stone

The Konda Reddy fort, locally Konda Reddy Buruju, rises in the middle of the modern city as a tower of grey-brown stone above the river plain. It dates to the Vijayanagara period and takes its name from a 16th-century chieftain held there. A short drive west, the Belum Caves run more than three kilometres underground, the longest natural cave system in the Indian subcontinent that is open to visitors. Both are managed under the Andhra Pradesh tourism department.

— the visit

Kurnool sits on the Bangalore–Hyderabad corridor, with a junction station on Indian Railways and the NH44 highway running through it. The dry season from November to February is the kindest for walking the riverbank and the old town; summers reach into the low forties Celsius. The 1,000-year-old Mahanandi Shiva temple, with its spring-fed tank, lies about 80 kilometres east near Nandyal, and the Srisailam reservoir on the Krishna is about 150 kilometres southeast.

— informed by Andhra Pradesh Tourism
— where
India · Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh
— elevation
273 m · 896 ft
— position
15.8281° N · 78.0373° 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.
105 km SE
Belum Caves
cave system
80 km E
Mahanandi
temple town
150 km SE
Srisailam
reservoir and temple
75 km E
Nandyal
town
N
Kurnool
Belum Caves
Mahanandi
Srisailam
Nandyal
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Kurnool — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On the south bank of the Tungabhadra River in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, about 215 kilometres south of Hyderabad. It is the headquarters of Kurnool district.

Yes. Kurnool was the capital of Andhra State from 1953 to 1956, after the state was carved out of the old Madras Presidency. The role moved to Hyderabad with the formation of Andhra Pradesh.

A Vijayanagara-era stone tower in the centre of the city, named for a 16th-century chieftain who was held there. It still stands above the river and is one of the city's old landmarks.

The Tungabhadra, joined nearby by the small Hundri. A short distance downstream the Tungabhadra meets the Krishna River at Sangameswaram, a confluence with old temple sites.

November to February. The Rayalaseema country is dry granite hill country and summer temperatures reach the low forties Celsius, so the cool months are kinder for walking the river and old town.

The Belum Caves, the longest open cave system in the Indian subcontinent, about 105 kilometres southeast. Mahanandi temple east near Nandyal, and the Srisailam reservoir and Shiva temple further southeast on the Krishna.

— about the piece in your home

Often yes. Kurnool is a recognised home town for many Telugu families, and a tile of the river city carries a quiet pull. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio is a kind gesture.

The warm river-and-stone palette suits Indian-modern interiors, Jewel-tone Maximalist rooms, and earthen Mediterranean studies. It also pairs well with carved teak and brass.

It fits the current direction in heritage-modern rooms that mix old fort and temple imagery with clean walls. The tile reads as a place portrait rather than a poster, which suits that quieter style.

Above a sofa, a single Large or a four-tile Mural carries the wall. Above a console or in an entry, a Medium holds the eye. A nine-tile Mural reads from across a long room.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any wet or high-touch wall. Both are scratch-resistant and steam-tolerant. The Glossy finish is for framed wall art in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ammonia, no bleach. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface, so normal cleaning will not lift it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nothing is licensed and nothing is reproduced from another artist. The eye behind the atlas is Reid Wender's.

— if this one stayed with you

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