Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture launches Version 2.0 of the Indian Culture Portal

Newdelhi:5/3/26:Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, has launched Version 2.0 of the Indian Culture Portal (ICP) (www.indianculture.gov.in), a major technological upgrade of the national digital platform that provides access to India’s vast and diverse cultural heritage.

The Indian Culture Portal was originally launched in December 2019 with the objective of democratizing access to knowledge about India’s rich cultural traditions, history, literature, arts, and heritage. It brings together digital resources from museums, libraries, archives, and cultural institutions across the country on a single unified platform. With increasing user traffic and evolving technological expectations, the portal has now undergone a comprehensive upgrade to provide a faster, more scalable, and user-friendly experience.

Version 2.0 introduces a modern architecture, combining a React-based frontend with a Drupal backend, significantly improving speed, scalability, and system performance. This new architecture replaces the earlier monolithic system and ensures faster loading times, improved responsiveness, and enhanced reliability even during high traffic usage. The platform has been developed using modern technologies to support millions of users and integrate future digital services with ease.

One of the key highlights of the upgraded portal is the integration of Artificial Intelligence-enabled tools designed to improve user engagement and discovery of cultural content. An AI-powered chatbot called Bharti has been introduced to assist users in navigating the portal, answering queries, summarising cultural content, and guiding users to relevant resources. The chatbot is integrated with the Government of India’s Bhashini platform, enabling responses in 22 Indian languages, thereby significantly enhancing accessibility for users across linguistic communities.

The portal also includes an advanced multilevel global search system, which provides full-text search capabilities along with intelligent metadata filters and faceted navigation, allowing users to discover cultural resources more efficiently.

The upgraded portal functions as a Progressive Web App (PWA), allowing users to install and access the platform across devices with an app-like experience without requiring downloads from app stores. The PWA ensures seamless performance across desktops, tablets, and smartphones. It also introduces immersive cultural experiences, including 3D walkthroughs and 360-degree virtual tours of heritage monuments, allowing users to explore India’s architectural and historical landmarks digitally.

The upgraded portal features 46 curated cultural categories, offering enriched knowledge resources and new original sections such as Iconic Battles of India, Folktales of India, Healing Through the Ages, Legendary Figures of India, Classical Dances of India, etc. These sections aim to provide engaging narratives about India’s cultural legacy while supporting students, researchers, educators, and citizens interested in Indian heritage. To encourage learning through engagement, the portal includes interactive cultural games, quizzes, puzzles, and crosswords designed for users of all age groups.

The Indian Culture Portal is now positioned as a scalable, future-ready digital platform capable of integrating emerging technologies, expanding content partnerships, and supporting wider outreach for India’s cultural knowledge resources. The upgraded platform will benefit citizens, researchers, cultural institutions, and policymakers by providing faster access to curated cultural content, improved search capabilities, and multilingual digital engagement.

The Ministry of Culture continues its commitment and endeavour to digitise, preserve, and democratise access to India’s cultural heritage for audiences in India and across the world.