§1What this business is
A studio shoots 360° video, drone footage and 3D scans of temples, landscapes and festivals, then builds narrated virtual tours with interactive hotspots in several languages. People view them on a mobile/web app or in VR kiosks at tourist centres such as Rishikesh, Haridwar and Nainital. Income comes from subscriptions and pay-per-view, kiosk fees, licences to schools, museums and hotels, custom modules for festivals and events, and sponsorships.
Capacity: 5 VR kiosks in the first setup.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A digital media or animation company with Unity/360° skills and links to tourism boards and temple trusts.
Who it is not for
A first-time founder without tech skills or funding — the build takes a year before income.
Advantages
- Lets elderly, distant and foreign devotees see Char Dham and other shrines
- Content can be licensed again and again to schools, museums and hotels
- Tourism board and digital heritage programmes may fund it
- Few competitors with deep local content
Drawbacks
- High upfront cost (₹1.24 crore) before much revenue
- Filming at temples needs trust permissions and sensitivity
- VR hardware dates quickly
- Consumers may not pay for content they can find free online
Skills you need
- 360° filming and drone capture
- Unity/Unreal AR/VR development
- Cultural and religious research
- Institutional sales and licensing
Why difficulty 4/5: Tech-heavy, high upfront cost and slow, uncertain consumer revenue.
§3Market
Who buys
- Pilgrims and tourists (preview or remote darshan)
- Schools and colleges (history and geography modules)
- Museums, hotels and wellness retreats (licences)
- Travel agencies, event organisers and religious organisations
How it sells
- App stores and web subscriptions
- VR kiosks at Rishikesh, Haridwar, Nainital and Kedarnath base
- Institutional licensing and custom content contracts
Good to know
- Content capture hubs suggested in Dehradun or Nainital.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 360° camera (Insta360 Pro 2) | 2 | ₹8,00,000 |
| Drones for aerial footage | 2 | ₹6,00,000 |
| Audio recording and narration kit | 1 set | ₹2,00,000 |
| Workstation and editing PCs | 3 | ₹6,00,000 |
| VR kiosk setup (headset and booth) | 5 kiosks | ₹5,00,000 |
| Cloud hosting (annual) | — | ₹5,00,000 |
- 360° footage, drone captures, 3D scans and narrationcontent production ₹10 L in the project cost
- Headset hygiene supplies for kiosksrecurring
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Company or LLP registration
- Filming permissions from temple trusts, ASI or site authorities
- Drone registration on DGCA Digital Sky and Remote Pilot Certificate
§6Schemes & subsidies
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
The profile looks to Uttarakhand tourism board grants, Ministry of Tourism and Digital India heritage schemes, and CSR from tech or travel firms. CGTMSE can guarantee a bank loan; Stand-Up India suits SC/ST and women promoters.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Field capture equipment ₹25 L + studio and software licences ₹20 L + cloud hosting and servers ₹5 L + content production ₹10 L + app/platform development ₹15 L + marketing, pilots and VR booths ₹8 L + year-1 salaries ₹30 L + contingency (10%) ₹11.30 L = ₹124.30 L.
Working capital: Year-1 team salaries (₹30 L) are included in the project cost.
Year not printed on the DUY profile — check current prices.
§8Export potential
Digital content; licences sold to users abroad are service export, with no goods to ship.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Permission refused or withdrawn by temple trusts
- Low uptake of paid virtual tours
- Hardware damage at kiosks
- Funding gaps before break-even
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working ar/vr virtual pilgrimage and heritage tours (devbhoomi darshan) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam, GST), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start AR/VR Virtual Pilgrimage and Heritage Tours (Devbhoomi Darshan)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.