KU Students Develop ‘Hamro Sampada’ Platform to Digitally Archive Heritage Sites in 3D

 

Kathmandu. Three seventh-semester Computer Engineering students at Kathmandu University (KU) have developed a digital platform aimed at preserving Nepal’s archaeological and cultural heritage through 3D archiving technology.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Ravindra Bista from KU’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, students Sanjay Pahari, Utkrist Mani Neupane, and Bipul Lamsal created a platform called ‘Hamro Sampada’ (Our Heritage). The system generates realistic 3D models from photographs, enabling the digital preservation of heritage sites in their original form.

The project was developed as part of a university-level STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) materials creation competition announced by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in October 2025.

According to the students, they selected the theme of heritage conservation from among the competition categories and sought to introduce a new approach to digital preservation. While preparing their proposal, they found that previous STEAM projects had focused mainly on basic augmented reality (AR) applications. Since no initiative had fully transformed archaeological heritage into detailed 3D models, they decided to pursue the concept.

To create the models, the team used a technology known as 3D Gaussian Splatting, which converts ordinary two-dimensional photographs into highly realistic three-dimensional representations.

“Using this technology, a standard 2D image can be transformed into a 3D model that closely resembles a real photograph,” said team member Utkrist Mani Neupane.

The students had previously studied the technology independently, which helped them implement it effectively in the project.

Creating the 3D Models

For the practical phase of the project, the students selected two heritage sites in the Kavrepalanchok district: the Shiva Temple within the Chandeshwari Temple complex in Banepa and temples located in the historic Durbar area of Panauti.

According to Neupane, the team collected data by visiting the sites and photographing the structures from multiple angles. High-resolution 4K photographs were used to improve the clarity and accuracy of the 3D models.

Because conventional computers were unable to process the large volume of image data efficiently, the team rented GPU-powered systems to handle model training and rendering.

The resulting models accurately capture the external architecture and decorative details of the temples. However, the students noted that greater precision could have been achieved by placing markers and reference sheets on the structures during data collection.

“It was difficult to obtain permission to place such materials on historical monuments, so we could not fully apply that method,” Neupane said. “Even so, compared to traditional manual approaches, this technology is significantly more affordable and effective.”

The team also encountered technical limitations while modelling the upper sections of the temples. Since they were unable to obtain permission to fly drones within the project timeline, portions of the structures appeared slightly blurred in the final models.

At present, the models primarily showcase the exterior portions of the heritage sites. The students believe that with sufficient interior photography, it would be possible to create immersive 3D representations, allowing users to virtually explore the inside of temples. However, limited lighting inside heritage structures remains a major challenge.

Although the current project includes only two temples, the team plans to expand the archive to cover additional heritage sites in the future.

The students say the technology could play an important role in heritage conservation, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters.

“After witnessing the destruction caused by the 2015 earthquake, we realised that if heritage sites are damaged in the future, digital archives like these could help restore them to their original form,” they said.

Neupane emphasised that accurate digital preservation requires on-site data collection. He noted that academic commitments limited the number of locations the team could document during the project period, but plans are in place to archive more temples in the future.

As part of the STEAM proposal, the students had initially suggested displaying 3D heritage models through holographic projection systems in museums. The concept was designed to provide visitors with a more interactive experience when viewing cultural artifacts and monuments.

Inspired by that idea, the Hamro Sampada platform incorporates interactive features that allow users to zoom in on models using hand gestures and rotate them to view structures from different angles.

The team also attempted to submit their digital heritage archive to the Department of Archaeology. However, they found the department’s digital archiving infrastructure outdated and difficult to use.

“The existing digital archiving system is quite old and not very user-friendly,” the students said.

Because hologram display equipment would need to be imported and was beyond the project's budget, the team opted to create a website to showcase their work. The 3D models developed through the project are currently accessible online through the website.

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: असार १०, २०८३ १५:७

टिप्पणीहरू