360-degree online imagery of Taj Mahal and other iconic Indian heritage sites unveiled

NEW DELHI, INDIA: People around the world will now be able to explore the Taj Mahal and other national Indian monuments online through Street View.

With the support of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Google is releasing the first 360-degree online imagery of 30 iconic Indian heritage sites, including the Taj Mahal, Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort and Agra Fort on Google Maps and the Google Cultural Institute.

The ASI and Google are unveiling panoramic imagery of these 30 sites as part of their joint initiative to help make 100 of India's most important heritage sites more accessible for the world to experience. The Indian monuments now live on Google Maps and Cultural Institute are all over 100 years old, and by allowing people to virtually explore them online, Google aims to help share more of Indian culture and heritage with people at home and abroad.

Honourable Union Minister of Culture, Ms. Chandresh Kumari Katoch, said: "This partnership with Google makes it possible for billions of people across the world to see and explore our magnificent heritage, to take a walk at the Rock Cut Jain Temple, to marvel at the Nagarjuna Konda Buddhist Stupas and to relive history in Fatehpur Sikri. With the release of these new panoramic images, we aim to create a dynamic, immersive online experience by which people within India and around the world can understand and engage more of India's diverse cultural heritage."

Rajan Anandan, VP and MD, Google India, said: "Google is deeply committed to helping preserve and showcase cultural heritage across the world. India is unique in terms of the sheer wealth of heritage and iconic historical monuments, and it has been our privilege to work with the ASI in collecting new 360-degree photos of 30 Indian heritage sites. We hope the imagery will help make India's heritage and culture more accessible to people at home and abroad."

"The images coming online today through Google Maps and the Google Cultural Institute provide a new way for people around the world to view, interact with, and learn about some of the most important heritage monuments in India. We hope this new way of exploring national treasures such as the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Qutb Minar will help share more of India's diverse culture with new audiences, and help preserve this part of India's identity for generations to come," said Pravin Srivastava, director general of the ASI.

This is the first step toward bringing more of India's national monuments online. Google and the ASI look forward to announcing when additional imagery of heritage sites will be available on Google Maps and the Google Cultural Institute.