Picture this. You enter the Taj Mahal complex through the main gateway, and spot the large, domed marble mausoleum standing in the centre of a square plinth and flanked on each corner by four minarets. Though a uniform white from a distance, you only realise the subtle details on the platform as you get closer. Panning left to right or vice-versa, you notice the majestic Mughal gardens laid out with avenues of trees and fountains.

You suddenly decide to visit the rest of the complex some other day and check out Qutub Minar instead. In a matter of a few seconds, you are transported to the ancient Islamic monument complex in New Delhi and find yourself looking at intricate carvings and Quran verses on the 73-metre tower. In between, you also see the Iron Pillar nearby.

Sounds far-fetched? Not quite, at least not in the virtual world. This is possible now as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has joined hands with Google India for an endeavour to create 360-degree online panoramic imagery of 100 nationally important monuments in the country, including the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Humayun?s Tomb, Khajuraho and the Ajanta and Ellora caves. Soon, one can have the luxury of ?visiting? these monuments from the comfort of one?s home.

One might have heard of Street View Trekker, which takes a person on a virtual tour of a place sitting in front of the computer. Sadly, till now, India had missed out on that initiative. But with the recent tie-up between Google and ASI, we will soon be able to visit famous Indian landmarks and monuments right from our desks.

After bringing iconic global landmarks like France?s Eiffel Tower, America?s Grand Canyon and Japan?s Mount Fuji, among others, alive on the Internet through its visual ?walkthroughs?, the Internet major has now started work on putting 100 major Indian monuments and sites in that league.

?The aim of the project is to bring the heritage of our country closer to people and to disseminate among the youth our rich cultural legacy,? said Union minister of culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch at the launch of the project last month.

The ASI, under the ministry of culture, has prepared a ?tentative list? of 100 monuments and Google will keep on executing the projects ?as and when the names get cleared?. The final list is still under review. Once the data has been collected, it will be put online, allowing Web users to take virtual tours of these monuments.

In the first phase, 22 monuments will be given a panoramic view followed by the rest on the list, according to D Dayalan, director (monuments), ASI. ?Team members are taking 360-degree panoramic photographs of these monuments and will upload them on the site,? he says. Apart from the images, there will be comprehensive background information about each place.

For Rajan Anandan, managing director and vice-president, sales and operations, Google India, the tie-up is a step towards breathing new life into the new generation of Indians who have grown up with the Internet. ?We want to help them explore their culture and heritage in an interactive way,? says Anandan. The project would not only make these monuments more accessible, but would also ?digitally preserve India?s heritage for future generations?, says Pravin Srivastava, director general, ASI.

How the project is going to be accomplished is, in itself, an interesting exercise. Trekker, a Street View camera system (a wearable backpack with a camera system on top), will photograph the sites and capture 360-degree imagery of these monuments. Trekker is specially designed to capture imagery in remote sites or places only accessible by foot. It has already travelled to the Grand Canyon, Mount Fuji, the Galapagos Islands and even the historic pedestrian paths of Venice to make the world?s diverse heritage and beauty accessible to everyone.

Trekker will automatically gather images as it goes. There are 15 lenses at the top of the Trekker mast, each pointed in a different direction, enabling it to capture a 360-degree view. As an operator walks, photos are taken every 2.5 seconds. ?The imagery isn?t yet available on Google Maps, but when it goes live, one can simply search for one of the iconic sites. And once zoomed in, you can drag the orange ?pegman? icon on the left of the map screen on to an area that becomes highlighted in blue. From there, one will be able to pan around and check the imagery from various angles,? says Anandan.

The organisation has already photographed and mapped Qutub Minar. The virtual tour of the monument will soon be available on the Web. Humayun?s Tomb is next on the agenda. The company says creating 360-degree imagery of a monument takes around seven to 10 days. However, the timeline may vary, depending on challenges faced in taking images.

?We are using cutting-edge technology to digitally reconstruct these locations and stitch the still images together into panoramic views. We are constantly trying to improve the speed and efficiency of our process. Each

location has its challenges, so the timelines may vary,? says Anandan.

In a country like India, where we have the world?s second-largest population and a history rich in cultural diversity, technology can no doubt help us share the experience and identity with the rest of the world. It will, in a way, help the tourism industry, too, to flourish. ?With panoramic views, people from all over the world can visualise these monuments, and it may tempt them to go and visit the sites,? says Dayalan.

Though the project carries the ?Street View? tag, it is not a part of Google?s Street View service, which primarily features imagery taken on public property. Earlier in 2011, Google started filming Indian roads in Bangalore in a bid to put them online. However, it had to stop after questions were raised that the photography might reveal sensitive details of security installations and defence establishments. At that time, the Internet major said it had the necessary clearance to film Indian streets and was in the process of talking to the Bangalore police to resolve their concerns. But two years later, it is yet to get permission to film Indian roads, the way it has done in most of the developed countries.

The Street View imagery of 100 iconic sites will be published on the ?World Wonders? site and Google Maps.