The AscendaCo atelier in Bhaktapur

Our Story

Seven Generations of
Sacred Making

Not a Brand.
A Lineage.

AscendaCo was never designed in a boardroom. It grew from a single workshop in Bhaktapur, Nepal — a medieval city where Newari artisans have cast bronze for over a thousand years. Our founder, Ram Shakya, is the seventh generation in his family to shape devotional objects by hand.

What began as a local practice became something more: a bridge between ancient Himalayan craftsmanship and the modern desire for objects with depth, meaning, and provenance. Every piece in our collection comes from this single atelier — six artisans working in bronze, alloy, and mineral pigment.

We don’t manufacture. We make — slowly, deliberately, and with devotion.

Sacred objects in a modern interior

Dattatreya Square,
Bhaktapur

Our atelier sits in the heart of Bhaktapur’s ancient artisan quarter. The building itself is over 200 years old — its wooden beams still bearing the carvings of earlier generations. Inside, six master craftsmen work in a rhythm unchanged for centuries.

There is no assembly line. Each piece passes through many hands — the wax sculptor, the mold maker, the caster, the chaser, the gilder, the consecrating monk — but the sensibility remains singular. Every object carries the coherence of a single tradition.

Six artisans · One lineage · Every piece by hand

Bronze statues in the Bhaktapur workshop

A Brief History

  1. 2001

    Origins

    Ram Shakya opens a small bronze workshop in Bhaktapur’s Dattatreya Square, continuing a family tradition spanning seven generations.

  2. 2008

    First Exports

    AscendaCo’s first pieces travel to private collectors in Japan and Germany — word spreads through meditation communities and interior designers.

  3. 2015

    The Atelier Expands

    A dedicated consecration space is built adjacent to the workshop. A resident monk begins blessing each piece before it leaves Nepal.

  4. 2023

    A Global Archive

    AscendaCo pieces now reside in homes, temples, and private collections across 30 countries. The workshop remains the same — six artisans, one lineage.

Philosophy

“We believe objects carry the intention
with which they were made.”

Every AscendaCo piece is made to be lived with — not displayed behind glass, but touched, contemplated, and passed down. This is art for daily devotion.

Explore the Collection