Listing and Mapping of historic sites are the very first steps in any heritage conservation process, especially for policy-making and grading at city and arealevels of intervention. Listing and mapping of historic Samsthan and Zamindari (aristocratic) Towns and Villages located in the two Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has been taken up by the author as part of Doctoral research work in Architecture Department of Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad, India, for which digital technologies were extensively used. This paper discusses the useful application of digital technologies in heritage conservation, the research methods adopted and elaborating on the challenges faced and opportunities provided by the digital, internet technologies in mapping and interpretation of archival data. Digital, internet-based technologies and social media networks are indeed the new research and computational tools for completing historical research in faster and more precise ways.

Keywords : Heritage Conservation; Historic Settlements; Listing; Mapping; Zamindar; Samstans; Telangana; Andhra Pradesh; Pre-Independence India; Historical Studies; Colonial Period