shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNepal

in the eastern terai, just north of the Indian border

Biratnagar

— — a working city the plains made.

— 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 second-largest city in Nepal and the capital of Koshi Province, set on the eastern terai a few kilometres north of the Indian crossing at Jogbani. The street grid is flat, the heat is honest, and the jute and sugar mills that built the place still run on the south edge of town. The 1947 strike at the Biratnagar Jute Mills was one of the first sparks of the Nepali democratic movement, and the city has not forgotten it. — from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Biratnagar, 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 Biratnagar

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

Biratnagar is the capital of Koshi Province and headquarters of Morang District, set on the eastern terai plain at about 72 m elevation. The Indian border crossing at Jogbani sits roughly 6 km south, and the city functions as Nepal's main industrial gateway to Bihar. The 2021 census recorded a metropolitan population of around 244,000, making it the country's second-largest city after Kathmandu, and the regional commercial centre for jute, sugar, and grain trade across eastern Nepal.

— informed by Wikipedia — Biratnagar

— the year

Biratnagar takes its name from King Birat of the Mahabharata, and the civic calendar carries that older layer alongside its industrial one. Dashain in October and Tihar in November fill the older neighbourhoods around Hatkhola with lamps and processions. Chhath, the riverbank festival shared with neighbouring Bihar, draws crowds to the Singhiya river at sunrise and sunset over four days each November. The Biratnagar Mahotsav, a winter cultural and trade fair, has been held intermittently since the 1990s.

— informed by Wikipedia — Biratnagar

— the visit

Biratnagar Airport, the second-busiest in Nepal, runs daily flights to Kathmandu in about forty-five minutes. By road, the East-West Mahendra Highway crosses the north edge of the city and connects west to Janakpur and east to Itahari and the Dharan junction. Most visitors arrive overland from the Jogbani-Biratnagar border crossing or fly in from Kathmandu. The jute mill quarter on the south edge of town, and Hatkhola in the older centre, are the parts of the city worth walking slowly.

— informed by Wikipedia — Biratnagar Airport

— where

Nepal · Morang District, Koshi Province

— elevation

72 m · 236 ft

— position

26.4525° N · 87.2718° 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.

6 km S

Jogbani

Indian border town

22 km N

Itahari

highway junction city

45 km N

Dharan

foothill town

Biratnagar

Jogbani

Itahari

Dharan

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

Biratnagar is on the eastern terai plain of Nepal, in Morang District of Koshi Province, about 6 km north of the Indian border crossing at Jogbani. It sits at roughly 72 m elevation and is the provincial capital.

The 2021 census recorded a metropolitan population of about 244,000, making Biratnagar the second-largest city in Nepal after Kathmandu and the largest city on the eastern terai plain.

Biratnagar is Nepal's main industrial centre for jute, sugar, and grain trade. The 1947 strike at the Biratnagar Jute Mills was one of the first major events of the Nepali democratic movement against the Rana regime.

Biratnagar Airport is the second-busiest in Nepal, with daily forty-five-minute flights to Kathmandu. By road, the East-West Mahendra Highway crosses the city and connects it overland east and west across the terai.

The name comes from King Birat of the Mahabharata, whose Matsya kingdom is traditionally placed in this region. Nagar simply means city. The modern city was formally established in the early twentieth century around the jute and sugar mills.

October through February offers the most comfortable weather, with festival activity around Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath. April through June brings strong heat across the terai, and the monsoon from June to September brings heavy rain and flooding.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with ties to Koshi Province and to the terai diaspora. The piece reads the city as locals do — flat light, industrial edges, festival lamps — rather than as a generic Himalayan scene.

The warm earth tones and indigo shadows settle into Indian Contemporary, South Asian Modern, and warm Maximalist interiors. It also reads well against unbleached linen and natural wood in a more restrained room.

Yes. South Asian Contemporary leans on regional specificity and named place over generic motifs, and a clearly named Nepali city carrying its own history fits that direction. The ceramic surface also sits naturally alongside brass and terracotta.

Above a standard sofa, a Large reads from across the room; a four-tile Mural fills the wall more fully; a nine-tile Mural becomes the room's anchor. Above a console, a Medium or Large is the usual choice.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splashes well. The Glossy finish is best kept to drier wall spaces and framed pieces.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water are enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it does not lift or fade with regular cleaning.

Yes. The image is original to Wender Studios, made in-house by curator Reid Wender. We do not license artwork in or out, and each tile is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— if this one stayed with you

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