Kolkata's Indian Museum to go online, ties up with Google Cultural Institute
Beginning with its prized collection of Buddhist art, including the famous Gandhara sculptures, Kolkata’s Indian Museum is now making all of its galleries available for 360- degree panoramic viewing online.
As part of a tie-up with the Google Cultural Institute, which allows art lovers to explore artifacts from all over the world on its website, the Indian Museum is launching an e-version of its exquisite exhibition titled ‘Indian Buddhist Art’ on Wednesday. Important highlights in the exhibit include a sculpture of the head of Buddha from the fifth century in Sarnath, which is featured even in school textbooks.
“This is the first virtual exhibition we are organising, after which all our galleries will gradually be available on the Google Cultural Institute website”, Museum Director Jayanta Sengupta told PTI.
Three galleries, including those on Buddhist sculptures, are now ready for 360-degree panoramic viewing on the Internet.
“This allows anyone to have a walk through the gallery and see it as you do it with your eyes. You can scroll around to see even the ceiling and the floor”, he said.
Since last year, a Google team from the UK and the US have been working hard on their specialised and patented camera technology to click high-resolution photos of the treasures lying in the museum. It is expected that all galleries will be online within a year’s time.
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One of the largest and oldest museums in India, the Indian Museum has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings. Curated by Dr Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist, it was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata in 1814. The tie-up is expected to boost the culture and heritage of the country around the world virtually.