Digital Hampi: See ruined monuments in original shape

Bellary: In a first of its kind project, a team of experts drawn from more than 10 premier institutions including IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, Indian Statistical Institute and Delhi Technical University has made a 3D imagery of UNESCO World Heritage Site Hampi that will enable people to experience the rich cultural heritage of the ancient city in Karnataka.  

A mobile app has also been developed, the users of which will be able to get to see the original Hampi structures which are in ruins now.  According to sources close to the Indian Digital Heritage Project, an initiative supported by the Department of Science and Technology was involved in developing the ambitious Digital Hampi project. The mobile app will help tourists to see what the original Vittala Temple looked like when it was first built, if he points his mobile phone towards the chariot, which is all that remains of the temple 

.    

The app has been developed following architectural principles and elements of conjectural recreation to bring alive the tangible and intangible aspects of the ancient city applying advanced technological methods. With the help of mobile app, a visitor to the exhibition would be able to take a walk through the spectacular Vittala Temple complex and the once thriving Virupaksha Bazaar Street.

The usage of Kinect technology, basically the use of 3D cameras, has made it possible for a visitor to the exhibition to experience a certain level of "physical interaction" with the 3D printed miniature models of the structures. Going beyond merely recreating the physical structures, the project also attempts to breathe life into the cultural aspects of the period.