Wender·Vista
Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia
on the hill above Tiruttani town, northwest of Chennai

Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani

— — the climb the year is counted by.

— 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 the six warrior abodes of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu, set on a small hill above the railway town of Tiruttani. The climb to the sanctum is three hundred and sixty-five granite steps, one for each day of the year. Pilgrims come barefoot before dawn, especially on Sundays and during the long Krittikai festival when oil lamps run the length of the hill.

from the studio
Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani
— bring it home

Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani, 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 Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani

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 Subramaniya Swamy Temple stands on a low hill above Tiruttani, a railway town in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, about eighty-seven kilometres northwest of Chennai by road or by the Chennai-Renigunta line. It is one of the Arupadaiveedu, the six warrior abodes of Lord Murugan that ring the south Indian peninsula, and the place where the deity is believed to have rested after defeating the demon Surapadman. The sanctum is reached by three hundred and sixty-five granite steps from the foot of the hill.

— the year

The temple keeps an unusually full calendar. The largest monthly gathering falls on the Krittikai star each Tamil month, when oil lamps line the steps from town to sanctum, and the annual Brahmotsavam in May or June draws pilgrims from across the four southern states. The Tamil New Year and the night of Aadi Krittikai turn the hill into a slow river of barefoot worshippers. Sunday is the regular day of pilgrimage in honour of Surya, whom the deity is said to have appeased after the war with Surapadman.

— the visit

The temple opens before sunrise and again after a midday closure, with no entrance fee for darshan and small charges for the priest-led abhishekam rituals at the sanctum. Devotees climb barefoot; shoe storage sits at the base of the steps. Tiruttani is on the Chennai suburban rail line, about two and a half hours from Chennai Central, and special trains run on festival days. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department of Tamil Nadu administers the temple and its lands.

— informed by HR & CE, Tamil Nadu
— where
India · Tiruttani, Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu
— position
13.1796° N · 79.6088° 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.
2 km S
Tiruttani Railway Station
suburban rail stop
60 km NW
Tirupati
pilgrimage city
70 km S
Kanchipuram
temple city
N
Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani
Tiruttani Railway Station
Tirupati
Kanchipuram
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

It is one of the six Arupadaiveedu temples of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu, the warrior shrines that ring the south, marking the places he is said to have stopped after his victory over the demon Surapadman.

Three hundred and sixty-five granite steps, one for each day of the year. Devotees climb barefoot, often before sunrise, and the climb itself is counted as part of the pilgrimage.

The Brahmotsavam in May or June and the monthly Krittikai festival both draw very large crowds. Tamil New Year and the night of Aadi Krittikai see the hillside lit with lamps.

In Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, about eighty-seven kilometres northwest of Chennai. It lies on the Chennai-Renigunta railway line and is reached in roughly two and a half hours by suburban train.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department of the Tamil Nadu government, which oversees the major temples of the state and maintains the priesthood, the festival calendar, and the temple lands.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for customers with Tamil family roots and for households that keep a Murugan shrine at home. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note travels respectfully across distance.

The hilltop palette reads well in warm South-Indian-traditional rooms, Jewel-tone Maximalist spaces, and prayer-room corners. It also holds its own in a more restrained library beside dark teak.

A single Large suits most consoles; above a sofa, a four-tile Mural lets the climb carry the wall. A nine-tile Mural turns the hill into the room.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and humidity-tolerant, which suits them to kitchen backsplashes, bathroom walls, and shower surrounds.

A microfibre cloth and water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so the piece does not fade with regular wiping or sunlight.

Yes. Every WenderVista painting is original to the studio, in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language. There is no licensing; the work comes from one curator's eye.

— if this one stayed with you

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