VR Temples: Reviving Chola Glory in Immersive Realms

Sathya Govindarajulu stunned priests and visitors at Thanjavur's Brihadeeswarar Temple by arriving with a VR headset, sparking a child's excited question about bringing a video game to Shiva. As founder of TechVoyager, launched in 2022 from Tamil Nadu's cultural heart, she deploys 3D scanning, VR, AR, terrestrial mapping, 3D modeling, and printing to convert ancient monuments into interactive virtual worlds.​

Tech Meets Chola Legacy

Visitors now summon Raja Raja Chola in 3D for temple tales, handle printable Chola artifacts, or stroll sacred sites from afar—all powered by immersive XR that turns passive tourism into deep discovery. Govindarajulu's drive stems from her upbringing steeped in temple lore, frustrated by tourists who snap photos without grasping the stories etched in stone. Her debut project blended tech and theater: a responsive holographic Chola king narrating Brihadeeswarar’s history.​

Building XR from the Ground Up

TechVoyager's 14-person team, with six local women, skips investors to fund hardware, training, and scans across temples and ASI sites. Capturing data demands patience—navigating permissions, rituals, crowds, and shifting sunlight that can stretch one monument over days. For XR creators, this highlights real-world challenges in heritage digitization, where environmental factors shape high-fidelity models.​

Stories Over Scans

Beyond data, Govindarajulu prioritizes narrative: a sculpture captivates only when its tale unfolds in VR. Her vision ensures India's stone-carved past speaks eternally through code, inspiring XR innovators to blend culture with cutting-edge immersion