AI-assisted Virtual Reality Digital Preservation of Sikkim Monasteries: Monastery360 A Digital Heritage Platform Proposal.
Dr. Sandeep Kulkarni1 , Aakash Patel2, Eshwar Chavan3, Darshan Thamke4
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer
Science, Pune, Maharashtra
B.Tech, Student1, Department of Computer Science
B.Tech, Student2, Department of Computer Science
B.Tech, Student3, Department of Computer Science
Ajeenkya D Y Patil University
Lohgaon, Airport Rd, Charholi Budruk, Pune, Maharashtra
ABSTARCT
There are more than 200 Buddhist monasteries in Sikkim, some of which date to the 1600s and 1700s, 300-400 years ago. All of them are a different story about the Buddhist culture. They are of invaluable cultural importance, yet they are under threat - literally falling apart, hard to reach, and no single, unified digital infrastructure to record them in a way that would permit anyone to access them easily. Our study presents Monastery360, a fully online solution to these problems with the help of AI and VR. The 30 research papers that we read to determine what has already been done left major gaps in the preservation of Himalayan Buddhist heritage digitally. Monastery360 is an aggregation of five key items, namely: 360 virtual tours in which individuals can immerse themselves in the monasteries, interactive maps that display the location of each monastery, AI-powered digital archives containing manuscripts and artifacts, smart audio tours that functionalize by the user being in a particular area, and a calendar of cultural events and festivals. To demonstrate technical feasibility, we tested this idea at three monasteries (Rumtek, Pemayangtse, and Enchey) and created a working frontend prototype. This project is a new strategy that is precisely aimed at Sikkim monasteries that can enhance tourism, involve the local community in the process, and enable access to these riches for education in other parts of the world.
Keywords: Digital Heritage Preservation, Sikkim Monasteries, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Monastery360, Buddhist Architecture, Cultural Tourism
