The National Portal and Digital Repository for Museums of India are designed and developed by Human-Centred Design and Computing Group, C-DAC, Pune. It provides an all pervasive and integrated access to theme-based collections and artefacts irrespective of the physical and geographical locations of museums. The portal introduces India's rich heritage through a diverse range of digital collections in terms of sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, weapons, coins, and a numerous other category of artefacts. The virtual museums are a wealth of knowledge accessible from anywhere and at any time for students, teachers, researchers and even the tourists. It is perhaps for the first time in world that 10 national museums are made accessible online from one portal. This project is funded by Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The digital collections created using the JATAN: Virtual Museum Builder are integrated in the national digital repository for giving public access through the national portal.

The portal was inaugurated by honourable Minister for Ministry of Culture, Government of India on 21st October 2014.

The Museums of India Portal serves as a national digital repository, providing integrated online access to digitized collections from 10 prominent national museums across India. It features diverse artifacts such as sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, coins, and more. Below are the top 5 practical use cases, drawn from its design and documented applications:

• Educational Resource for Students and Classrooms - The portal enables virtual access to museum collections, allowing students to explore India's heritage interactively from anywhere. It can be linked directly to school curricula, providing multimedia learning resources like high-resolution images and 3D views of artifacts for history and culture lessons.
• Research and Academic Exploration - Scholars and researchers can search and retrieve theme-based collections (e.g., ancient coins or terracotta pottery) across multiple museums, facilitating in-depth studies without physical visits. This supports academic papers, theses, and comparative analyses of cultural artifacts.
• Public Awareness and Cultural Preservation - General users gain seamless access to digitized heritage items, promoting national pride and understanding of India's 5,000-year cultural history. It acts as a digital archive, preserving and disseminating rare collections, and antiquities for broader societal engagement.
• Virtual Tourism and Pre-Visit Planning - Tourists can preview museum galleries, exhibitions, and locations virtually, enhancing travel planning. Features like integrated maps and artifact details help users decide on "must-see" items, bridging geographical gaps for remote or international visitors.
• Global Accessibility for Diaspora and International Audiences - By dissolving physical barriers, the portal offers anytime, anywhere access to India's artistic and historical treasures, benefiting the Indian diaspora, foreign researchers, and global enthusiasts.

• Unified Search & Retrieval
• Timeline
• Virtual Exhibition
• 3D Gallery
• Masterpieces of National Museums

Human-Centred Design & Computing Group

C-DAC, 5th Floor, Innovation Park, Panchavati, Pashan, Pune - 411 008

Phone : 020-25503175, Email: digitalpreservation[at]cdac[dot]in