Wender·Vista
Polonnaruwa
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSri Lanka
in the dry zone of north-central Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa

— — stone Buddhas the rain hasn't worn out yet.

— 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 second of Sri Lanka's medieval capitals, after Anuradhapura fell. Polonnaruwa was the seat of the Sinhala kings from the eleventh through the thirteenth centuries; what remains is a walled archaeological park of brick stupas, a circular Vatadage, and the four colossal Buddhas at Gal Vihara, cut directly from a single granite outcrop. Bicycles are the way through. The dry-zone heat is real.

from the studio
Polonnaruwa
— bring it home

Polonnaruwa, 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 Polonnaruwa

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

Polonnaruwa lies in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, about 215 kilometres northeast of Colombo, on the eastern edge of the dry zone. It became the royal capital in 1070 under Vijayabahu I and reached its height under Parakramabahu I, who reigned from 1153 to 1186. The city was abandoned in the thirteenth century after repeated South Indian raids and the shift of power south. The archaeological park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, covers the inner royal city and the religious quarter to its north.

— informed by UNESCO, Wikipedia
— the stone

The four images at Gal Vihara (a seated Buddha, a smaller seated figure inside a niche, a standing figure, and a 14-metre reclining Buddha) were carved from a single horizontal band of grey granite in the twelfth century, almost certainly during Parakramabahu's reign. The Vatadage, a circular relic house, surrounds a small stupa with four seated Buddhas facing the cardinal directions. The Royal Palace of Parakramabahu, written sources record at seven storeys, now stands as a three-storey shell of brick. The lotus-shaped Nelum Pokuna bath survives intact.

— informed by UNESCO
— the visit

The archaeological park is reached from the town of Polonnaruwa, which has a railway station on the Batticaloa line and is about five hours by road from Colombo. A single ticket, currently 30 US dollars for non-Sri Lankan visitors, covers the inner park, the Quadrangle, and Gal Vihara to the north. Most visitors hire a bicycle in town and ride the loop in three to four hours, starting early to avoid the midday heat. Shoes and head-covering must come off before climbing to the Gal Vihara statues.

— where
Sri Lanka · Polonnaruwa District, North Central Province
— within
Ancient City of Polonnaruwa
— elevation
60 m · 197 ft
— position
7.9403° N · 81.0188° 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 W
Parakrama Samudra
ancient reservoir
25 km W
Minneriya National Park
national park
55 km W
Sigiriya
rock fortress
30 km N
Medirigiriya Vatadage
relic house
N
Polonnaruwa
Parakrama Samudra
Minneriya National Park
Sigiriya
Medirigiriya Vatadage
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The second medieval capital of Sri Lanka, after Anuradhapura. It served as the royal seat from 1070 to the late thirteenth century and now survives as a walled archaeological park in the dry zone of North Central Province.

A rock-cut shrine carved from one granite outcrop in the twelfth century. It holds four Buddha images, including a 14-metre reclining figure, and is the most photographed monument in Polonnaruwa.

In the late thirteenth century, after repeated South Indian raids weakened the kingdom and political power shifted to the southwest of the island. The city was largely forgotten until British colonial surveys of the nineteenth century.

Yes. The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982 under cultural criteria. The inscribed area covers the inner royal city, the Quadrangle, and the Gal Vihara complex.

Anuradhapura is older, Sri Lanka's first capital from the fourth century BC, and is built around colossal dagobas. Polonnaruwa is later and more compact, with a higher concentration of intact rock-cut and brick monuments in a smaller park.

— about the piece in your home

It often is. Polonnaruwa and the Gal Vihara Buddhas are central to the Sri Lankan story. A Medium with a studio note carries well to a family, a returning pilgrim, or someone studying Sinhala history.

The granite warm-greys and tropical golds suit warm Minimalist, Japandi, and library studies in teak or rosewood. It also reads well in biophilic interiors that lean toward stone and plant.

Yes. The stone-and-foliage palette and the meditative subject fit the current draw toward calm, natural-material rooms. It pairs cleanly with rattan, raw linen, and unfinished oak.

A single Large works above a console or a reading chair. Above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural fills the wall; a 9-tile Mural suits a stair landing or a meditation room.

Yes, on Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and unbothered by steam. The Glossy finish is best reserved for framed pieces away from direct splash.

A soft microfibre cloth with water. No abrasives, no solvents. The colour is sealed into the ceramic surface and will not fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted and finished in our single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. The artwork is not licensed to third parties or sold through other channels.

— if this one stayed with you

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