Itihaas

A comprehensive platform for Indian monument booking and tourism promotion

Itihaas is a Flask-based web application designed to promote tourism in India by enabling monument bookings, tour guide services, merchandise shopping, and interactive features like chatbots and reviews. Built for the Colloquium 2025 IT for Society project.

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Features

• 🏛️ Monument Booking System - Book visits to UNESCO heritage sites and monuments across India
• 🗺️ Interactive Maps - Explore monuments with Google Maps integration
• 👨‍🏫 Tour Guide Services - Connect with verified local guides and book tour packages
• 🛍️ Merchandise Store - Shop for cultural souvenirs, clothing, and accessories
• 💬 AI Chatbot - Get instant information about monuments and travel tips
• ⭐ Reviews & Ratings - Share experiences and read reviews from other travelers
• 🪙 Itihaas Coins - Loyalty rewards system for bookings and activities
• 📧 Email Verification - Secure account registration with email verification
• 🌐 Multi-language Support - Interface available in multiple languages
• 📱 WhatsApp Notifications - Booking confirmations via WhatsApp

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Tech Stack

• Backend: Flask (Python 3.12+)
• Database: SQLite with SQLAlchemy ORM
• Authentication: Flask-Login
• Email: Flask-Mail with Gmail SMTP
• NLP: spaCy for natural language processing
• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (Jinja2 templates)
• Maps: Google Maps API
• Migrations: Flask-Migrate (Alembic)

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Project Structure

Itihaas/
├── __init__.py              # Flask app factory and configuration
├── run.py                   # Application entry point
├── config.py                # Configuration settings
├── models.py                # Database models (User, Booking, Guide, etc.)
├── views.py                 # Main application routes
├── auth.py                  # Authentication routes (login, signup)
├── merchandise.py           # Merchandise/shop routes
├── chatbot.py               # Chatbot functionality
├── email_utils.py           # Email sending utilities
├── whatsapp.py              # WhatsApp integration
├── translations.py          # Multi-language support
├── website/                 # Package shim for imports
├── templates/               # HTML templates
├── static/                  # Static files (CSS, JS, images)
├── instance/                # Database file
├── requirements.txt         # Python dependencies
└── .env.example             # Environment variables template

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Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12 or higher
• pip and virtualenv
• Gmail account with App Password (for email features)
• Google Maps API key (for map features)

Setup Steps

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/stashlop/Itihaas.git
   cd Itihaas

2. Create and activate a virtual environment

   python3 -m venv .venv
   source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Download spaCy language model

   python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

5. Set up environment variables

   Copy the example environment file:

   cp .env.example .env

   Edit .env and add your credentials:

   EMAIL_USER=your-email@gmail.com
   EMAIL_PASSWORD=your-gmail-app-password
   GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your-google-maps-api-key
   FLASK_DEBUG=1
   FLASK_RUN_HOST=127.0.0.1
   FLASK_RUN_PORT=5000

   Important Notes:

   • For Gmail, you must use an App Password, not your regular password
   • Enable 2-Step Verification in your Google Account first
   • Get a Google Maps API key from Google Cloud Console

6. Initialize the database

   python run.py

   The database will be created automatically on first run at instance/database.db

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Running the Application

Option 1: Using run.py (Recommended)

python run.py

The app will start at http://127.0.0.1:5000 by default.

Option 2: Using Flask CLI

export FLASK_APP=Itihaas:create_app  # On Windows: set FLASK_APP=Itihaas:create_app
flask run --port 5000

Development Mode

The app runs in debug mode by default when FLASK_DEBUG=1 is set in .env. This enables:

• Auto-reloading on code changes
• Detailed error pages
• Debug toolbar

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Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required	Default
EMAIL_USER	Gmail address for sending emails	No*	None
EMAIL_PASSWORD	Gmail App Password	No*	None
GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY	Google Maps API key	No*	None
FLASK_DEBUG	Enable debug mode (1 or 0)	No	1
FLASK_RUN_HOST	Host to bind the server	No	127.0.0.1
FLASK_RUN_PORT	Port to bind the server	No	5000
SECRET_KEY	Flask secret key for sessions	No	Auto-generated

*Not required to run, but features will be limited without them.

Email Setup (Gmail)

1. Go to your Google Account settings
2. Enable 2-Step Verification
3. Generate an App Password:
   • Go to Security → 2-Step Verification → App passwords
   • Select "Mail" and your device
   • Copy the generated 16-character password
4. Use this App Password in your .env file

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Usage

User Features

1. Sign Up / Login

   • Create an account with email verification
   • Login with existing credentials

2. Browse Monuments

   • Explore UNESCO heritage sites
   • View details, images, and locations on map

3. Book Tickets

   • Select monument, date, and number of visitors
   • Choose tour guide (optional)
   • Receive confirmation via email/WhatsApp

4. Hire Tour Guides

   • Browse verified tour guides
   • View guide profiles, ratings, and specializations
   • Book tour packages

5. Shop Merchandise

   • Browse clothing, accessories, and souvenirs
   • Add items to cart and checkout
   • Track order history

6. Write Reviews

   • Share your experiences
   • Rate monuments and guides
   • Upload photos

7. Earn Itihaas Coins

   • Earn coins through bookings and activities
   • Use coins for discounts on future bookings

Guide Features

1. Register as Guide

   • Sign up with guide credentials
   • Add experience, languages, and specializations
   • Get verified by admin

2. Create Tour Packages

   • Design custom tour packages
   • Set pricing and duration
   • Manage bookings

3. View Dashboard

   • Track bookings and earnings
   • Manage availability
   • View ratings and reviews

Admin Features

• Manage users, guides, and bookings
• Verify tour guides
• Monitor transactions
• Manage merchandise inventory

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API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /sign-up - User registration
• POST /login - User login
• POST /logout - User logout
• POST /verify-email - Email verification

Bookings

• GET /booking - Booking form
• POST /booking - Create booking
• GET /booking-history - View booking history

Merchandise

• GET /shop - Browse products
• GET /shop/<id> - Product details
• POST /cart/add - Add to cart
• GET /cart - View cart
• POST /checkout - Checkout

Chatbot

• POST /chatbot/chat - Send message to chatbot
• GET /chatbot/get_monuments - Get monument list

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Database Models

• User - User accounts and authentication
• Booking - Monument visit bookings
• Guide - Tour guide profiles
• TourPackage - Guided tour packages
• Merchandise - Shop products
• Order - Purchase orders
• Review - User reviews and ratings
• ItihaasCoins - Loyalty points system
• Transaction - Payment transactions

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Troubleshooting

Email not sending

Error: "Error sending verification email. Please try again."

Solution:

1. Check that EMAIL_USER and EMAIL_PASSWORD are set in .env
2. Ensure you're using a Gmail App Password, not your regular password
3. Check email.log for detailed error messages
4. Verify 2-Step Verification is enabled on your Google Account

Import errors

Error: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'Itihaas'

Solution:

• Run python run.py from the project root directory
• Or set PYTHONPATH=/workspaces before running

Database errors

Error: Database tables not found

Solution:

1. Delete instance/database.db
2. Restart the app to recreate tables
3. Or run Flask-Migrate commands:

   flask db init
   flask db migrate
   flask db upgrade

Google Maps not loading

Solution:

1. Set GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY in .env
2. Enable Maps JavaScript API in Google Cloud Console
3. Check browser console for API errors

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Development

Running Tests

# Coming soon
python -m pytest

Database Migrations

# Create migration
flask db migrate -m "Description of changes"

# Apply migration
flask db upgrade

# Rollback migration
flask db downgrade

Adding New Features

1. Create new routes in views.py or create a new blueprint
2. Add database models in models.py
3. Create templates in templates/
4. Update this README with new features

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Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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License

This project is part of the Colloquium 2025 IT for Society initiative.

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Acknowledgments

• Built for Colloquium 2025 - IT for Society Project
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites data
• Indian tourism and cultural heritage promotion

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Contact

For questions or support, please open an issue on GitHub.

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Future Enhancements

• Payment gateway integration (Stripe/Razorpay)
• Mobile app (React Native)
• Advanced analytics dashboard
• Social media integration
• AR/VR monument tours
• Multi-currency support
• Advanced search and filters
• Blog/news section
• Push notifications
• Offline mode support