Five world-renowned Indian archeological wonders - Taj Mahal in Agra, Kashi Vishwanath temple, Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, Rani Ki Vav (stepwell) in Gujarat and the ruins of Hampi in Karnataka have virtually come alive here at an exhibition at the National Museum here.
Trained in state-of-the-art technologies, Vizara Technologies, a startup under the incubation of IIT Delhi in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology has created accurate 3-dimensional models of these five most important archaeological sites in India, allowing for detailed study by archaeologists and future preservation.
A visual treat particularly to the tech-savvy visitors at the museum, the exhibition which is on till February 23, 2020 showcases 3D fabricated models of the famous monuments with interactive virtual walk-throughs and projection mapping, and a room-scale 3D model of a Hampi Temple, with augmented reality (AR), virtual Reality (VR) and holographic interactions.
Dr Anupma Malik, CEO of Vizara Technologies explained that these installations combine multiple technologies, which can be used by a visitor to interact with the physical models and experience personalised, realistic virtual walkthroughs of each of these heritage sites, and get information about their various facets.
Under the project, damaged historical monument and extinct art forms like dance are being conserved for the future generation.
The process includes laser scanning and mapping of the monument and preparation of digital format of the monuments on the basis of the available historical facts information. For instance, 3D model of Rani Ki Vav, an engineering marvel, showcases entire stepwell, intricately carved walls, detailing the terraces that lead to the well.
Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan who had visited the exhibition on digital conservations termed it a rare public showcase of digital preservation work undertaken in India.
"The exhibition serves as a bridge between the past and future and will make aware the next generations about the rich cultural values and architectural techniques; this will help the new generation to learn the move forward in conserving monuments," he added.
The research conducted as part of the Indian Digital Heritage (IDH), initiative of DST, aims to develop indigenous technologies to digitally preserve Indian heritage, by focusing on the UNESCO world heritage site of Hampi, Karnataka as an illustrative example.
Teams from various cultural and scientific institutes such as IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, National Institute of Design, Bengaluru worked together to identify research problems such as how to restore fading murals that could reveal more about social life in the past.
