Shree Shree Govindaji Temple:The cultural heritage of North East India

Abstract

Shree Govindajee Temple is the largest Hindu, Vaishnav temple in Imphal city in Manipur. It is located next to the palace of the former rulers of the then Manipur Kingdom. Shree Govindaji Temple was originally built in 1846 A.D. during the reign of Maharaj Nara Sing. He dedicated it to Shree Govindaji, which was their royal deity. The temple and the deities were substantially damaged during an earthquake of 1868. Consequently, the temple was rebuilt to its original design during the reign of Maharaja Chandrakriti (1859-1886) and was consecrated on 26 April 1876. However, during the Anglo Manipur war of 1891, the idols of the temple were moved to Kongba. In 1908, after the Maharaja Churchand Singh took up residence at his new palace the idols were also moved and deconsecrated in the present temple. The temple management was earlier with the former king as per Article II of the Manipur Merger Agreement of 1949 when Manipur became a part of India after independence. However, on popular demand by the public, it is now managed by a Board with members drawn from the priest community and important people of the city. The Chief Minister of the state is the Board's president. The temple and the mantapa are under renovation since November 2012. The gold plating of the domes which was removed for renovation has been redone during August 2013. The plating is said to weigh 30 kilograms (66 lb) of gold. Nowadays, many Bhaktas and Vaishnav from India and abroad are coming for prayers to Shree Shree Govindaji and to see the famous Raas leela of Manipur. Through this paper, it is intended to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction.

Vaishnav, Kongba, Govindaji, Mandapa, Raas Leela

International Conference on Heritage as Soft Power

Uses and the potential of information technology to promote archaeological tourism in Sri Lanka

Nissanka, N. A. B. M. Senarathna, T. M. C. D.

Nissanka, N. A. B. M.,& Senarathna, T. M. C. D. (2019) Uses and the potential of information technology to promote archaeological tourism in Sri Lanka,International Conference on Heritage as Soft Power,Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka.Pag. 99

This research attempts to identify the potentials and usage of Information Technology in archaeological sites to promote tourism. IT plays an increasingly important role in fostering the promotion of arts and cultural heritage to attract and serve visitors, and to satisfy their needs. IT facilitates tourism initiatives and services that address the real needs of users, exploiting the opportunities provided by the web and digital technologies to improve the tourist experience before, during, and after the visit. Secondary data was basically used and descriptive method was employed as the methodology of the particular study. As the very first step, a database should be created to store and manage data. MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQLite, SQL server are the commonly used databases for commercial applications. The main advantage of storing digitized data in databases is, it`s easy to append to web and can easily transfer anywhere through internet. Databases should be accompanied by high-quality information in order to be re-used effectively to create tourism services. User generated content sites such as YouTube, blogs, Google video consumers and advertisers can be used to upload ads and videos to be shared virally by millions of people. Social Media promotions will yield relatively stronger results because of its ability to tightly target the audience based on social media activities. Google maps can be used to support visitors to find the location and direction accurately. In spite of that visitors can be involved to contribute for promotion by uploading the photos and videos they have taken during the visit. Simulated Experiences like virtual reality will be a new promotion tool to the tourism industry. This allows users to experience the real world in a 3D view without actually being there. Other, distinct types of VR style technology include augmented reality and mixed reality.