Parliament Question: Digitisation of Historical/Religious Sites and Antiquities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4855 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026 DIGITISATION OF HISTORICAL/RELIGIOUS SITES AND ANTIQUITIES ✝4855. SHRI GYANESHWAR PATIL: SHRI BHUMARE SANDIPANRAO ASARAM: SHRI NILESH DNYANDEV LANKE: DR. SHIVAJI BANDAPPA KALGE: Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken steps for the digitisation of historical/religious sites and antiquities located across the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise particularly Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra; (b) whether the digitized data is publicly accessible and available in regional language; (c) whether any mechanism has been established to ensure standardization and accuracy in documentation; (d) whether the Government has launched any technical tools or taken any initiatives to support its preservation and display, particularly in Maharashtra including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district; (e) whether the Government has any plan to include this database in the curriculum of schools and higher education to raise awareness among students in Maharashtra and Khandwa Lok Sabha Constituency of Madhya Pradesh; and (f) if so, the details of the said digitalization work along with the targeted timeline thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) The Government of India has established the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) in 2007 to prepare two national registers on the documentation and digitization of unprotected monuments (Built Heritage and Sites) and antiquities across the length and breadth of the country. So far, the NMMA has documented 1.84 lakhs Monuments (Built Heritage & Sites) and 17.20 lakhs Antiquities. The State-wise list including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra is at Annexure-I. (b) Yes, A part of the digitized data is available for public access in English language at the NMMA website: http://nmma.nic.in. (c) The NMMA has established a uniform format for documentation of monuments and antiquities with 20 and 21 parameters for standardization and accuracy in documentation. All documentation work is carried out in accordance to these guidelines.(d) Currently no such scheme is available with the NMMA, ASI. (e) & (f) NMMA regularly conducts workshops in various regions to raise awareness about documentation of monuments and antiquities, organises training programs for universities, colleges, NGOs, and other interested organizations, in coordination with field offices of Archaeological Survey of India.ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-4855 FOR 23.03.2026 STATE-WISE DETAILS OF ANTIQUITIES DOCUMENTED BY NATIONAL MISSION ON MONUMENTS AND ANTIQUITIES Sl. No. State/UT Total Data 1 Andhra Pradesh 16,404 2 Assam 1,168 3 Bihar 2,500 4 Chandigarh 19,659 5 N. C. T. Of Delhi 3,52,145 6 Gujarat 55,369 7 Haryana 3,01,240 8 Himachal Pradesh 4,948 9 Jammu & Kashmir/UT 76,889 10 Karnataka 747 11 Madhya Pradesh 19,902 12 Maharashtra 1,63,482 13 Odisha 12,356 14 Punjab 70,708 15 Rajasthan 90,000 16 Tamil Nadu 13,956 17 Telangana 481 18 Uttar Pradesh 39,560 19 West Bengal 3,447 Total 12,44,961 Total ASI 4,57,220 Circles\Museums\Branches\CAC data Data under verification 17,958 Total 17,20,139 *****