Wender·Vista
Chitwan National Park
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNepal
in the Terai lowlands of southern Nepal

Chitwan National Park

— — mist on the elephant-grass at first light.

— 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

“Sal forest and tall grasslands along the Rapti River in southern Nepal, where the Himalayas drop down to the Indian plain. Greater one-horned rhinoceros stand chest-deep in oxbow pools at dawn; Bengal tigers leave tracks on the riverbank but seldom show themselves. From the village of Sauraha the canoes go out before the heat.

from the studio
Chitwan National Park
— bring it home

Chitwan National Park, 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 Chitwan National Park

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

Chitwan National Park covers about 952 square kilometres of subtropical lowland in the Inner Terai of south-central Nepal, between the Siwalik foothills and the Indian border. The park became Nepal's first national park in 1973 and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984. Habitats run from sal forest and riverine jungle to floodplain grasslands of elephant grass that stand four metres tall at the end of the monsoon. The Rapti, Reu, and Narayani rivers form the northern boundary. The village of Sauraha is the main gateway, a six-hour bus ride from Kathmandu.

— the season

The park has three working seasons. The dry cool months from October to February bring clear mornings, mist on the rivers, and the best wildlife sightings: rhinos and deer pull in close to the open water. March through May runs hot and dry; grasses are cut short by villagers, which raises the chance of seeing a tiger but pushes temperatures past 38°C. The monsoon arrives in June and lasts through September. The Rapti rises, jeep tracks turn to mud, and most lodges close or run a quiet skeleton schedule.

— the visit

Sauraha on the park's northeast edge is the main gateway, with a national park office that issues day permits and assigns mandatory naturalist guides. The standard programs are dawn jeep safaris into the central grasslands, dugout canoe trips down the Rapti for gharial and kingfishers, and walking safaris with two guides for those willing to sign the waiver. The riding-elephant safaris that once defined Chitwan are being phased out under welfare reforms led by World Animal Protection and local NGOs; reputable lodges now offer elephant-encounter visits at the breeding centre instead.

— where
Nepal · Chitwan District, Bagmati Province
— within
Chitwan National Park
— position
27.5000° N · 84.4500° 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.
1 km NE
Sauraha
park gateway village
3 km N
Elephant Breeding Centre
conservation centre
2 km N
Tharu Cultural Museum
ethnographic museum
25 km NW
Bharatpur
regional city
N
Chitwan National Park
Sauraha
Elephant Breeding Centre
Tharu Cultural Museum
Bharatpur
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Chitwan National Park — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, gaur, sloth bear, mugger and gharial crocodile, and over 540 bird species. The rhino count was about 752 in the 2021 census; the tiger count is around 125 adults across Chitwan and its buffer.

Chitwan became Nepal's first national park in 1973 and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984. The area was a royal hunting reserve before that, which is part of why the forest cover survived.

Sauraha, the main gateway, is a six-hour bus ride or a 25-minute domestic flight to Bharatpur from Kathmandu. From Bharatpur it is a short taxi ride to the park's northeast edge.

October through February is the dry cool season, with clear mornings and the best wildlife sightings. March to May runs hot. The monsoon from June to September closes most lodges and tracks.

Park rules require a licensed naturalist guide for all activities. Walking safaris carry real risk from rhino, sloth bear, and tiger; jeep and canoe programs are considerably safer and account for most visits.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers who have trekked in Nepal or worked in conservation in the Terai. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries the lowland palette without crowding a wall.

The green-river palette settles into biophilic interiors, warm-modern rooms, and naturalist studies. Three styles it sits well in: biophilic-modern, jungalow, and the layered earth-tone look common in homes built around travel and books.

The grass-and-river palette sits inside the current biophilic-design and earthy-naturalist movement in interiors. The Medium works above a desk; the Large carries over a low sofa in a room with houseplants.

A single Large reads at arm's-length viewing. Above a longer sofa, a 4-tile Mural opens out the grassland. A 9-tile Mural fits a tall stairwell or a long entry wall and shows the river clearly.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so steam and splash will not lift it. The Glossy finish stays on dry walls.

A microfibre cloth and water are all that is needed. No spray cleaners, no abrasives. The thin glossy finish wipes clean and the colour underneath does not move under normal use.

Yes. Reid Wender curates and signs off every piece in the WenderVista atlas. The art is not licensed in or out; each tile is hand-finished in the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— if this one stayed with you

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