Ministry of Culture, the Archaeological Survey of India Partner with Google to Make 100 of India’s Iconic Heritage Sites Available Online

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has partnered with Google to create 360-degree online imagery of 100 of India's most important heritage sites, including the Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, and the Ajanta and Ellora caves. Google's mission is to make information more accessible, and around the world Google is constantly looking for new ways to tell the stories of the world's diverse cultures and make them available worldwide. By helping the ASI create new 360-degree panoramic imagery of these iconic Indian sites, Google hopes to help make more of India's heritage accessible to people around the world, and to help preserve India's unique history for generations to come.

From today, Google will work with the ASI to bring the Street View Trekker, a wearable backpack with a camera system on top, to 100 iconic Indian heritage and cultural wonders. The Trekker is specially designed to capture imagery in remote sites or places only accessible by foot, and has already traveled to the Grand Canyon, Mount Fuji, the Galapagos Islands and even the historic pedestrian paths in Venice as part of Google's efforts to make the world's diverse heritage and beauty accessible to everyone. Once published, this new imagery of Indian heritage sites will be available on Google Maps and on the World Wonders site within the Google Cultural Institute so that people across India and around the world can virtually view and explore these areas, and in the process, learn more about Indian history.

"In a country like India, where we have the world's second largest population and 5,000 years of history, rich in cultural diversity, technology can help us share the Indian experience with the rest of the world - and each other - more effectively than ever before. We're honored to be working with the ASI to help make these important Indian heritage sites available for the world to experience online," said Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Managing Director, Google India.

"India's historical and archeological sites are an important part of the world's knowledge, and through this partnership with Google we hope to engage more people, both around the world and here in India, in discovering and learning about our country's rich cultural history," said Honourable Union Minister of Culture Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch at the launch ceremony. "We have always embraced technology and we believe that the new panoramic imagery of 100 Indian monuments will not only allow people to interact with our country's culture in new ways but also digitally preserve India's heritage for future generations," said Pravin Srivastava, Director General of the ASI.