Pilgrims interact with ‘Narad Muni’ at Mahakumbh

The Digital Experience Centre set up at Sector 3 of the Mahakumbh mela area is attracting visitors in large numbers these days, courtesy AI enabled model nicknamed Narad Muni, a mythological character, that is answering all the queries of pilgrims and tourists here.

Established in over 60,000 square feet, this centre has wooden models of various temples of the country. The entire digital experience centre has been embellished with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and LED displays as well as lifelike holograms with an aim of providing a unique digital and engaging experience for the pilgrims and international visitors, bringing the spiritual and cultural depth of the Mahakumbh Mela to life.

Iconic tales of Prayag Mahatmya (a book based on the Puranas and other Hindu scriptures that describes the significance of Prayagraj) and those focussing on Triveni Sangam are also being shown here. If despite all these stories, if a visitor has a curiosity in their mind or questions, then you can directly contact the AI-based chatbot model Narad Muni.

The centre is especially attracting the youth.

In the crowd are Ankur Agarwal of Kanpur, Yogita Mishra and Vinod Bandwala of Indore, Sangeeta of Jabalpur and Shivansh Mishra of Varanasi—all excited after interacting with Narad Muni.

“I asked questions about the spiritual importance of Mahakumbh and rituals of Mahakumbh, and the answers came in a jiffy,” shared Ankur Agarwal, a student, from Kanpur.

A housewife Sangeeta from Jabalpur said that she posed a querry about cultural importance of Mahakumbh to Narad Muni and the answers were to the point and very informative.

The Digital Experience Centre has been prepared by an event management firm at the behest of the UP Government.

The firm’s director Mohit Verma said that eight galleries and 12 thematic zones have been set up as part of the exhibition, which are introducing pilgrims as well as foreign tourists to the history and culture of India. The story of Samudra Manthan (churning of the oceans) has been depicted through projection. Here, one can feel the waves being created by waving hands in the Yamunotri glacier made with AI and VR, he added.