Wender·Vista
Narmada
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia
rising at Amarkantak, running west to the Arabian Sea

Narmada

— — the river that goes the other way.

— 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

“One of India's seven sacred rivers, the Narmada rises high on the Amarkantak plateau in Madhya Pradesh and runs west for thirteen hundred kilometres to the Gulf of Khambhat. Most of the great Indian rivers flow east; the Narmada does not. Pilgrims walk her banks on a circumambulation that takes three years and three months, and never cross the water. — from the studio

from the studio
Narmada
— bring it home

Narmada, 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 Narmada

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

The Narmada rises at Amarkantak in eastern Madhya Pradesh, at an elevation of around 1,057 metres on the Maikal range, and flows roughly 1,312 kilometres west through a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges before reaching the Gulf of Khambhat near Bharuch in Gujarat. She is one of only two major peninsular Indian rivers, with the Tapti, to flow westward into the Arabian Sea rather than east to the Bay of Bengal. The basin drains nearly 99,000 square kilometres across three states.

— the water

At Bhedaghat near Jabalpur, the Narmada has cut a gorge through soft Proterozoic marble; the cliffs rise around thirty metres above the water and run for roughly three kilometres. Local boatmen punt visitors through the gorge under names that have been used for centuries — Bandar Kudni, Hathi Ka Paon. Further downstream the river is held back by the Sardar Sarovar Dam, raised to its full height of 163 metres in 2017, one of the largest concrete gravity dams in the world. Above and below the dam she carries the same pale colour.

— the silence

The Narmada Parikrama is the pilgrimage that walks the full length of both banks without ever crossing the water — about 3,300 kilometres on foot, traditionally completed in three years, three months, and thirteen days. Pilgrims sleep at ashrams and roadside dharamshalas along the route, and the river is addressed as 'Maa Narmada', Mother Narmada. The practice is older than most of the temples on her banks. A walker carries little, eats what is offered along the way, and turns at the source and again at the sea.

— where
India · Amarkantak, Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh
— elevation
1,057 m · 3,468 ft
— position
22.6724° N · 81.7531° 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.
at the lake
Amarkantak
river source
280 km W
Jabalpur
city near Marble Rocks
1250 km W
Bharuch
city near the river mouth
N
Narmada
Amarkantak
Jabalpur
Bharuch
— common questions

What people ask.

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

She runs along an ancient rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, a tectonic fault that predates the Himalaya. The geometry of the rift carries her west rather than east like the Ganges and the Godavari.

She rises at Amarkantak in Anuppur district, eastern Madhya Pradesh, at around 1,057 metres on the Maikal range. The temple complex at the source is a major pilgrimage site in its own right.

A circumambulation of the river on foot, about 3,300 kilometres along both banks without crossing the water. Tradition gives it three years, three months, and thirteen days; modern pilgrims often complete it faster.

A concrete gravity dam on the lower Narmada in Gujarat, raised to its full height of 163 metres in 2017. It supplies water and power to four states and remains the subject of long civil-society debate.

At Bhedaghat, about twenty kilometres from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, the river cuts a three-kilometre gorge through pale marble. Boats run from the ghat at the gorge mouth; the cliffs are striking on a full-moon night.

Only in stretches. Small craft work the gorge at Bhedaghat and parts of the lower river near Bharuch, but dams, rapids, and shifting channels make through-navigation impractical along most of the length.

— about the piece in your home

Often, yes. The river is a touchstone for families across Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries the place without overstating it.

The cool greens and stained-glass blues sit well in Indo-modern interiors, Minimalist Asian rooms, and biophilic palettes built around water and stone. The piece pairs against warm teak or pale plaster.

Yes. The water, marble, and forest palette reads cleanly in rooms built around natural materials. A Medium or Large works above a sideboard or in a corner used for meditation or reading.

Above a standard sofa, the Large is usually right. Above a longer console, a four-tile Mural carries the river's length better; a nine-tile Mural anchors a wider wall and becomes the room's centre.

Yes, in our Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate steam and splash, so they work above a sink or in a shower surround. The Glossy finish is for dry-wall display only.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is all it needs. Avoid abrasive sponges and solvent cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so normal cleaning will not dull or fade it over time.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original, made in our Knoxville studio under Reid Wender's direction, and not licensed from any outside source. We work as a single studio, with no third-party reproduction.

— if this one stayed with you

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