Wender·Vista
Sanchi
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia
on a hill above the plains of Madhya Pradesh

Sanchi

— — stone the empire left behind.

— 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

“The Great Stupa sits on a low hill near Vidisha, kept since the third century BCE. Ashoka raised the brick mound; later hands wrapped it in stone and carved the four gateways with stories that travelled out of India along with the religion. The forest holds back at the edge of the precinct. People walk the circle clockwise and don't say much.

from the studio
Sanchi
— bring it home

Sanchi, 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 Sanchi

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

Sanchi stands on a sandstone hill about 46 km northeast of Bhopal, in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. The complex began under the emperor Ashoka in the third century BCE and was expanded across the Shunga, Satavahana, and Gupta periods. The Great Stupa, a hemispherical dome roughly 36 metres in diameter, is the oldest stone structure in India and the centrepiece of a site UNESCO inscribed in 1989. The four carved toranas date to the first century BCE.

— the stone

The four toranas (north, south, east, west) were carved late in the first century BCE by artisans who worked in ivory and wood before turning to stone. The reliefs read like a manual: Jataka tales, processions, lotus medallions, yakshi figures braced against the architrave. The dome itself is brick; the railing and gateways are local sandstone, the colour of warm wheat in afternoon light. The Archaeological Survey of India has maintained the complex since 1912.

— the visit

The site sits about an hour by road from Bhopal, reached through the small town of Sanchi. The ASI gate opens at sunrise and closes at sunset; the climb from the parking area is gentle and paved. Cool months from November to February are the comfortable window; Madhya Pradesh summers push past 40°C. A small museum at the foot of the hill holds the lion capital fragment and other relics from the early excavations.

— informed by ASI Bhopal Circle
— where
India · Raisen, Madhya Pradesh
— elevation
434 m · 1,424 ft
— position
23.4795° N · 77.7397° 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.
10 km NE
Vidisha
ancient city
13 km NE
Udayagiri Caves
Gupta rock-cut shrines
46 km SW
Bhopal
state capital
N
Sanchi
Vidisha
Udayagiri Caves
Bhopal
— common questions

What people ask.

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

A Buddhist monumental complex in Madhya Pradesh, India, built around the Great Stupa raised by the emperor Ashoka in the third century BCE. UNESCO inscribed the site as a World Heritage property in 1989.

Ashoka commissioned the original brick mound in the third century BCE to enshrine relics of the Buddha. Later dynasties (the Shungas, Satavahanas, and Guptas) expanded it in stone over the next several centuries.

The toranas are carved stone arches at each cardinal direction, added in the first century BCE. Their reliefs depict Jataka tales, processions, and scenes from the Buddha's life rendered through symbol rather than figure.

On a low sandstone hill near the town of Sanchi in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh, about 46 km northeast of Bhopal and 10 km from the historic city of Vidisha.

November through February. Daytime temperatures sit in the comfortable twenties Celsius and the light is long and warm. Summer afternoons regularly push past 40°C and the monsoon makes the hill slippery.

The Mahabodhi Society maintains a modern temple at the base of the hill, and Buddhist pilgrims visit through the year. The ancient stupas themselves are an archaeological monument, walked rather than used for daily ritual.

— about the piece in your home

It carries that way well. Sanchi is one of the foundational sites of early Buddhism and one of the most recognisable monuments of ancient India. A Small or Medium tile with a handwritten note from the studio travels gracefully.

The warm sandstone palette and the stained-glass treatment sit well with Wabi-sabi, Earth-tone Minimalist, and Indo-modern interiors. The piece anchors a wall of dark wood, terracotta, or off-white linen without competing for attention.

Yes. Reid Wender is the curator and the artwork exists only here, one studio, no licensing. Each tile is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee.

A single Large reads cleanly above a console. Above a sofa, a four-tile Mural carries the wall; a nine-tile Mural takes the full architecture of a longer room.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The tile is sealed against humidity and steam and cleans easily, which makes it a good fit for a backsplash, shower wall, or powder room.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. No abrasives, no solvents, no scouring pads. The colour lives in the surface and will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Heritage-craft maximalism and the broader Indo-modern direction are both having a moment. A single tile or small grouping reads as collected rather than decorated, which is where the trend is moving.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.