shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia

on a hill in Telangana, northeast of Hyderabad

Yadagirigutta Temple

Name: Yadagirigutta Temple — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a Narasimha shrine cut back into black stone.

— 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

“The Yadadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple stands on a low hill in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, about 60 kilometres northeast of Hyderabad. The shrine is built around five natural cave forms, each housing a swayambhu form of Narasimha. A major reconstruction in Krishna Shila black granite completed in 2022 enlarged the complex without moving the original sanctums. The hill keeps its older silhouette against the Deccan plateau at evening. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Yadagirigutta Temple, 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 Yadagirigutta Temple

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 Yadadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, also known as Yadagirigutta, sits on a hill in the town of Yadagirigutta in the Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana, roughly 60 kilometres northeast of Hyderabad along National Highway 163. The shrine is dedicated to Lord Narasimha, the man-lion fourth avatar of Vishnu, and is built around five swayambhu (self-manifested) cave forms set into the hillside: Jwala, Yogananda, Gandabherunda, Ugra, and Lakshmi Narasimha. Local tradition places the founding in the Treta Yuga, with the modern temple structure significantly expanded by the Reddi kings and again in the twentieth century.

— informed by Wikipedia, Telangana Tourism

— the stone

Between 2016 and 2022 the temple complex was rebuilt in Krishna Shila, the dense black granite quarried near Gurazala in Andhra Pradesh that is the traditional stone of Dravidian temple architecture. The reconstruction, led by the Telangana state government and shilpis (master sculptors) trained in the Vaikhanasa Agama tradition, enlarged the vimana, the mandapas, and the prakara walls without altering the five cave sanctums at the heart of the shrine. The new complex covers about 14.5 acres on the hilltop. The temple reopened to public darshan in March 2022 after the consecration ceremony.

— informed by The Hindu — Yadadri reopening

— the visit

Darshan is free; paid sevas including the Abhishekam, the Kalyanam, and the Suprabhata seva are bookable in advance through the temple's official Yadagirigutta Devasthanam portal. The temple opens around 4:00 am for the Suprabhatam and closes after the night Sayana Aradhana, with a midday break. The hill is reached by a vehicle road to a parking area near the top and a final stair climb; a hill ropeway and additional stair routes are in operation. Hyderabad's MGBS bus station and Secunderabad railway station both run direct services, with road travel taking about ninety minutes.

— informed by Yadagirigutta Devasthanam (official)

— where

India · Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, Telangana

— position

17.5961° N · 78.9525° 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.

14 km SW

Bhongir Fort

monolithic hill fort

18 km NE

Kolanupaka Jain Temple

Jain temple complex

60 km SW

Hyderabad

state capital

Yadagirigutta Temple

Bhongir Fort

Kolanupaka Jain Temple

Hyderabad

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Yadagirigutta Temple — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The temple sits on a hill in the town of Yadagirigutta in Telangana's Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, about 60 kilometres northeast of Hyderabad along National Highway 163. It is one of the most visited Narasimha shrines in southern India.

The presiding deity is Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, the man-lion fourth avatar of Vishnu, worshipped here in five swayambhu cave forms: Jwala, Yogananda, Gandabherunda, Ugra, and Lakshmi Narasimha, set into the natural rock of the hillside.

The temple was rebuilt between 2016 and 2022 in Krishna Shila black granite under the Telangana state government, following the Vaikhanasa Agama tradition. It reopened to public darshan in March 2022 after the consecration ceremony.

Local tradition places the shrine's origin in the Treta Yuga, associated with the sage Yadarishi. Historically the cave shrines have been venerated for many centuries, with documented temple-building activity under the Reddi kings and successive Telugu dynasties.

By road, take National Highway 163 from Hyderabad; the drive takes about ninety minutes. Direct buses run from MGBS in Hyderabad. By rail, Raigir station on the Secunderabad-Kazipet line is the closest, roughly five kilometres from the hill.

Yes. The temple is open daily, with the Suprabhatam beginning around 4:00 am and the final Sayana Aradhana at night, with a midday break. Major festivals include Narasimha Jayanti and Brahmotsavam, when crowds and queues are significantly larger.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for Telugu diaspora customers and Narasimha devotees. The hill silhouette and the black-granite shrine read as home to those who climb it annually. A Small or Medium with a studio note is the usual choice.

Most customers place it in or near the puja room, in a hallway leading to it, or above a small console with a lamp. The Keepsake and Coaster sizes also sit well on a desk or a personal altar shelf.

The piece sits naturally in Indo-Modern, South Indian traditional, and warm Minimalist Asian interiors. It also reads as a single grounded note against limewashed walls or in a more restrained Japandi room with teakwood.

Above a standard sofa the Large is the right scale. A 4-tile Mural carries the hill and temple across a longer wall; a 9-tile Mural belongs in a stairwell or a long hallway in a larger home.

We do not recommend placing a temple image in a bathroom. The Dura Satin and Matte finishes work technically in any humid room, but a hallway, living room, or puja space is the appropriate home for this piece.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so no chemical cleaner is needed and the surface stands up to routine wiping and the occasional incense smudge.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, curated by Reid Wender. We do not license artwork in or out.

— if this one stayed with you