<p>More than a lakh of precious artefacts and objects, including original paintings of the celebrated Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma, that are part of the rich collections at the 169-year-old Government Egmore Museum will very soon be accessible to people across the globe.</p>.<p>Welcoming visitors since 1851, the Government Museum, the second oldest in the country next only to Kolkata’s Indian Museum, has embarked on a major digitisation drive to preserve precious pieces of the rich and varied cultural heritage and take them to people by making them available online.</p>.<p>The museum’s administration is also in the process of developing a mobile application that will allow people to walk-through the museum at the touch of a finger with voice-over in Tamil and English about the history of the artefacts, objects, and paintings. </p>.<p>“The museum attracts a huge number of foreigners and domestic tourists for the rich collection of artefacts it possesses. Digitisation drive will allow millions of people who cannot visit the museum personally to take a look at the artefacts and learn about the country’s heritage with help from technology that is available in abundance,” M S Shanmugam, Commissioner of Museums, Tamil Nadu Government, told DH.</p>.<p>Works of art dating back to 11th to 17 century, those from the times of Tamil kingdoms of Cheran, Cholan, and Pallavan, bronze collections, Amaravati sculptures, Hindu sculptures, and original paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are some of the artefacts and objects that will be made available online in high-resolution images.</p>.<p>The digitisation exercise will also completely upgrade the existing website to enable it to showcase the entire collection of artefacts that are on display now. The museum has rich collections of artefacts and objects and is divided into numerous sections like anthropology, archaeology, botany, art gallery, chemical conservation, zoology, numismatics, and zoology.</p>.<p>“We are using technology to the hilt to enhance visitor or user experience. We are bringing out the mobile application using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. Once you wear headphones and watch the walk-through, you will get the museum feel,” Shanmugam added.</p>.<p>Though the mobile application and digitisation move were conceived before Covid-19 struck, the restrictions induced by the pandemic has prompted the administration to enhance the virtual experience by including several sections that were not planned originally.</p>.<p>Digitising the accession registers, which contains details of each and every artefact and object that belongs to the museum since 1851, photographing all the one lakh objects – the precious ones in 360 degrees – and making them available online is the plan, he said, adding that the process will be completed by November.</p>.<p>The digitisation drive will also help researchers to access the artefacts and objects without having to come to the museum’s library. While 30 per cent of the total 1 lakh artefacts and objects are currently at display at the museums, the remaining 70 per cent are stored in “strong rooms.”</p>.<p>“All the objects and artefacts that are on display at the museum currently will be available for viewing online. If someone wants to access the full collections, he or she would get special access on request,” the bureaucrat added.</p>.<p>The bronze collections include statues of Ardhanareeswara, a unique half-male and half-female avatar of Lord Shiva, and a magnificent Nataraja. Artefacts and objects recovered from archaeological excavations in Adichanallur in Thoothukudi district over the past 150 years that are on display at the museum will also be part of the digitisation exercise.</p>.<p>The digitisation drive, which is expected to be completed by the end of November after which the objects will be available online for public viewing, will also provide a digital tag for rare objects that would help secure them from thefts.</p>.<p>“This is kind of geo-fencing. We will use an invisible spray in some part of the artefact which will help us track even if it is stolen or taken away from its designated place in the museum. It is a simple technology, but will help us protect rare objects,” Shanmugam said.</p>
<p>More than a lakh of precious artefacts and objects, including original paintings of the celebrated Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma, that are part of the rich collections at the 169-year-old Government Egmore Museum will very soon be accessible to people across the globe.</p>.<p>Welcoming visitors since 1851, the Government Museum, the second oldest in the country next only to Kolkata’s Indian Museum, has embarked on a major digitisation drive to preserve precious pieces of the rich and varied cultural heritage and take them to people by making them available online.</p>.<p>The museum’s administration is also in the process of developing a mobile application that will allow people to walk-through the museum at the touch of a finger with voice-over in Tamil and English about the history of the artefacts, objects, and paintings. </p>.<p>“The museum attracts a huge number of foreigners and domestic tourists for the rich collection of artefacts it possesses. Digitisation drive will allow millions of people who cannot visit the museum personally to take a look at the artefacts and learn about the country’s heritage with help from technology that is available in abundance,” M S Shanmugam, Commissioner of Museums, Tamil Nadu Government, told DH.</p>.<p>Works of art dating back to 11th to 17 century, those from the times of Tamil kingdoms of Cheran, Cholan, and Pallavan, bronze collections, Amaravati sculptures, Hindu sculptures, and original paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are some of the artefacts and objects that will be made available online in high-resolution images.</p>.<p>The digitisation exercise will also completely upgrade the existing website to enable it to showcase the entire collection of artefacts that are on display now. The museum has rich collections of artefacts and objects and is divided into numerous sections like anthropology, archaeology, botany, art gallery, chemical conservation, zoology, numismatics, and zoology.</p>.<p>“We are using technology to the hilt to enhance visitor or user experience. We are bringing out the mobile application using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. Once you wear headphones and watch the walk-through, you will get the museum feel,” Shanmugam added.</p>.<p>Though the mobile application and digitisation move were conceived before Covid-19 struck, the restrictions induced by the pandemic has prompted the administration to enhance the virtual experience by including several sections that were not planned originally.</p>.<p>Digitising the accession registers, which contains details of each and every artefact and object that belongs to the museum since 1851, photographing all the one lakh objects – the precious ones in 360 degrees – and making them available online is the plan, he said, adding that the process will be completed by November.</p>.<p>The digitisation drive will also help researchers to access the artefacts and objects without having to come to the museum’s library. While 30 per cent of the total 1 lakh artefacts and objects are currently at display at the museums, the remaining 70 per cent are stored in “strong rooms.”</p>.<p>“All the objects and artefacts that are on display at the museum currently will be available for viewing online. If someone wants to access the full collections, he or she would get special access on request,” the bureaucrat added.</p>.<p>The bronze collections include statues of Ardhanareeswara, a unique half-male and half-female avatar of Lord Shiva, and a magnificent Nataraja. Artefacts and objects recovered from archaeological excavations in Adichanallur in Thoothukudi district over the past 150 years that are on display at the museum will also be part of the digitisation exercise.</p>.<p>The digitisation drive, which is expected to be completed by the end of November after which the objects will be available online for public viewing, will also provide a digital tag for rare objects that would help secure them from thefts.</p>.<p>“This is kind of geo-fencing. We will use an invisible spray in some part of the artefact which will help us track even if it is stolen or taken away from its designated place in the museum. It is a simple technology, but will help us protect rare objects,” Shanmugam said.</p>
