Some iconic moments that have defined the history of India - from battles and revolts to trade and politics - are now scattered across the world in the form of lakhs of negatives, lithographs and etchings.

But the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is collaborating with institutions around the globe to digitise rare and historical images and bring them all together for future generations to enjoy.

Working with the India House of the British Library in London, Durham and Cambridge universities in the UK, the American Institute of Indian Studies, and the Alkazi Foundation, a 'treasure trove' of photographic gems from bygone eras will be uploaded to the ASI website.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is collaborating with institutions around the globe to digitise rare and historical images to bring them all together online

Experts from these institutions are gathering in New Delhi on April 4 and 5 for a workshop on ‘digitisation of archives’ so history lovers and scholars can revisit the past in one click.

Material includes monumental events such as the arrival of first East India Company ships in 1608, the defeat of nawab Siraj-ud-daulah in the Battle of Plassey, the 1857 revolt, Pandit Nehru hoisting the Indian tricolour at Red Fort at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947.

Dr RS Fonia, joint director general, ASI, says: 'We are thankful to Sir Alexander Cunningham, the first British Surveyor of India, who took a variety of photographs from 1861-1900.

Historical pictures of key moments in Indian history are currently scattered around the globe, but will soon be accessible on the ASI website

'Then, the second DG of ASI, John Marshall, built a huge corpus of photo archives from 1902 to 1934, including scenes from excavation sites Taxila, Harappa, Nalanda and Mohenjo Daro.

'Initially, it was presumed that all photographic archives were taken away by Cunningham and Marshall, and deposited with the British Library.

'However, we learnt that, over years, the Cambridge University, American Institute of Indian Studies and Alkazi Foundation had purchased or shared some.

The ASI also hopes the move will help prevent smuggling as many Indian antiques are currently floating in the black market

'We also discovered some lithographs in our own anthologies. We are collaborating with all institutions to create a centralised electronic directory,' he said.

The photographs were catalogued by geographical origin. This gave rise to five albums: The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Indo-Tibet, Northern India, Bombay Presidency and Southern States.

While the NWFP has rich pictures of Afghan landscapes and political leaders, the Indo-Tibet collection has old photographs of Leh’s palace and royalty.

The Bombay Presidency is the largest collection, and Southern States archive gives a glimpse of India’s coastline from the early 19th and 20th century. The digitising and uploading of these pictures would not just help scholars but also prevent smuggling, officials say.