Protecting Rajasthan’s monuments digitally

Rajasthan is promoting tourism in a unique way. Seven monuments in the state have been digitally protected by making their 3D walkthroughs on an inch by inch scale.

Department of Information and Technology and Communication (DoIT&C) and Autodesk Inc have collaborated for this project which recreates important heritage structures through the LiDAR scanning technology using 3D with special cameras mounted on drones. Building Information Modeling provides accurate measurement of these structures.

3D models of Albert Hall Museum, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Udaipur City Palace, Jaipur City Palace and the seven gates of the Walled City in Jaipur have been completed. There is also a plan to digitally protect Amber and Kumbhalgarh Fort.

The state government is planning to achieve holistic development of these cities through this project.

“Preservation involves a unique set of challenges as one of the most crucial facets of the process is to keep the cultural heritage intact. Several projects have been undertaken across the globe to preserve culture and heritage. Taking the lead in India, Rajasthan, which is home to ancient forts and architectural marvels, is preserving them to attract more tourists with the help of architectural model and 3D walk-through videos. These are interactive and have informative games weaved around them. These will help students and history lovers know more about the culture and heritage of Rajasthan in a fun way,” said Akhil Arora, commissioner & principal secretary, Department of Information Technology & Communication (DoIT&C) in conversation with The Times of India.