A Virtual Reality Immersive Experience of Sri Lanka's Sacred Heritage: VR Meditation Experience at the Ruwanweli Maha Seya using Heart Rate and HRV Tracking

Abstract

Meditation is a widely recognized practice that reduces stress, improves focus, and promotes mental well-being. For various reasons, it has become difficult for religious devotees to travel to more intimate places of worship, such as their sacred sites, and to worship and meditate in harmonious environments. This system involves creating a Unity-based VR application that simulates several sacred places in Anuradhapura city, including four of the eight sacred places among the “Atamasthana"” and a short five-minute meditation session. A user evaluation was conducted with 25 participants. The results showed a decrease of 5.4 BPM in average heart rate and a 10 increase in heart rate variability after the meditation session. In this research, the sacred city of Anuradhapura has been used as a sample, but any religious sacred place can be used for this purpose. Through this harmonious environment recreated through Virtual Reality (VR), users can experience mental relaxation regardless of physical location. This research is more important because it combines cultural and religious preservation with modern technological innovations. By incorporating physiological sensations into a VR meditation experience, it is possible to enhance user engagement and monitor the results of the meditation. It can be understood that the physiological effects of this VR-based meditation are a good basis to advance both the study of digital wellness and cultural scarcity.