Wender·Vista
Kosi River
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNepal
draining the eastern Himalaya into the Ganges plain

Kosi River

— — the river that writes a new bed every monsoon.

— 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 Sapta Koshi, seven rivers braided into one, gathers off the south face of the Himalaya and crosses the Terai before joining the Ganges in Bihar. Below the barrage at Bhimnagar the river has shifted its course more than a hundred miles in two centuries. People here call it the Sorrow. The water still comes down jade-green out of the gorge above Chatra.

from the studio
Kosi River
— bring it home

Kosi River, 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 Kosi River

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 Kosi, or Sapta Koshi, is the largest river of eastern Nepal, formed by the confluence of seven Himalayan tributaries including the Sun Koshi, the Arun from Tibet and the Tamur from the Kangchenjunga massif. From the Chatra gorge it flows roughly 720 kilometres south across the Terai and into the Indian state of Bihar, where it joins the Ganges near Kursela. The catchment of about 74,500 square kilometres drains some of the highest terrain on earth, including the south flank of Kangchenjunga.

— informed by Wikipedia, ICIMOD
— the water

The Kosi carries one of the heaviest sediment loads of any river in the world, with annual transport estimated at roughly 120 million tons at the Chatra gauge. That sediment is why the lower river migrates so freely across the Bihar plain; the channel has shifted approximately 120 kilometres westward over the past 250 years. The Koshi Barrage at Bhimnagar, opened in 1963 under a joint Nepal-India treaty, regulates irrigation flow but cannot contain the monsoon peak, when discharge can exceed 18,000 cubic metres per second.

— informed by ICIMOD Koshi Basin
— the year

The river runs in two registers. From October through May the gorge water at Chatra clears to a glacial jade, and the lower channel braids quietly across the Terai sandbars. From June through September the south-west monsoon brings the peak. The breach of August 18, 2008, displaced more than two million people across Bihar. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve on the Nepal side protects wintering bar-headed geese, gangetic dolphin in the river, and the last wild population of arna, the Indian water buffalo.

— informed by Koshi Tappu
— where
Nepal · Sunsari district, Koshi Province
— within
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
— position
26.5000° N · 86.9400° 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.
60 km N
Chatra Gorge
Himalayan gorge
at the lake
Koshi Barrage
irrigation barrage
20 km N
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
wetland reserve
55 km E
Biratnagar
Nepali city
280 km S
Kursela
Ganges confluence
N
Kosi River
Chatra Gorge
Koshi Barrage
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
Biratnagar
Kursela
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The Kosi rises in the eastern Himalaya of Nepal and flows about 720 kilometres south through the Chatra gorge and across the Terai to join the Ganges in the Indian state of Bihar, near Kursela.

Sapta Koshi means seven Koshis. The river is formed by the confluence of seven Himalayan tributaries, the largest of which are the Sun Koshi, the Arun rising in Tibet, and the Tamur from the Kangchenjunga massif.

The lower Kosi shifts its channel freely across the Bihar plain because of an extreme sediment load and a flat gradient. The 2008 breach displaced over two million people. The nickname dates to the nineteenth century.

The Koshi Barrage at Bhimnagar on the Nepal-India border was completed in 1963 under a joint treaty between the two countries. It controls irrigation flow to Bihar and Nepal but cannot hold the full monsoon discharge.

The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve protects the last wild population of arna, the Indian water buffalo, alongside wintering bar-headed geese, gangetic dolphin in the river, and more than 500 recorded bird species.

The south-west monsoon brings peak discharge from June through September, with the highest risk in August. The 2008 breach occurred on August 18; the 1954 and 1987 floods both peaked in late August.

— about the piece in your home

It's been a meaningful gift for customers with family roots in eastern Nepal or northern Bihar. The Kosi is the defining river of both regions. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio travels well.

The palette runs cool, with Himalayan jade and silver-grey, so it sits well in jewel-tone maximalist, modern South Asian and quiet contemporary rooms. It pairs with brass, dark wood and woven textiles.

Modern South Asian is moving toward specific named geographies rather than generic motifs. A Himalayan river like the Kosi reads as informed and grounded, which is where the style is heading.

Above a standard three-seat sofa the single Large reads well; above an eight-foot console a four-tile Mural gives more presence; a nine-tile Mural anchors a tall stair wall or a wide entry.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The surface is scratch-resistant and handles steam, splash and daily wipe-down. The glossy finish is reserved for framed wall pieces kept away from water.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so it will not lift or fade with cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original artwork by Reid Wender, the studio's curator. Nothing is licensed in, and nothing is reproduced from a third party. The work is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— 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.