I attended the largest-ever gathering of humans. The logistics are mind-boggling

[canetoad]

In just three months, a functioning city that can cater for 10 million pilgrims a day springs up and then disappears a few weeks later.

Riding pillion through narrow medieval streets on a grimy Tata motorbike, we crested a low hill to suddenly encounter the world’s largest-ever gathering of humans: the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, a festival of Hindi multitudes, gathered to share Amrita, the nectar of immortality. A massive temporary city sprawled before us as far as the eye could see.

Held every 12 years, when Jupiter enters a new phase of the zodiac, the Kumbh festival was first recorded in 1285. But this year was particularly auspicious; Jupiter was completing a full rotation of its astrological cycle, a one in a 144-year event, meaning this year a record number of pilgrims were expected for the Maha, or Great Kumbh.

Around 450 million pilgrims (10 million a day) were predicted to visit the Kumbh tent city to bathe in the holy water of the River Ganga (Ganges) at its confluence with the Yamuna River and the mythical Saraswati River and so be freed from the cycle of birth and death.

To house them, an ephemeral megacity was built on the sandy floodplain at Prayag-Sangam, near the holy city of Varanasi. As a Sydney architect and urbanist with knowledge of planning and building our Olympics 2000, I became fascinated with the logistics of this event and eager to understand how India’s national and Uttar Pradesh state governments could suddenly create this city. The Olympic build took three years. The build for the Kumbh Mela takes place over three months.

More: https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/i-attended-the-largest-ever-gathering-of-humans-the-logistics-are-mind-boggling-20250218-p5ld6h.html

Or: https://archive.md/rp7qC

[LymphocyteLover]

1. Wow. I'm quite familiar with Hinduism via my wife but never heard of this festival

interesting

[canetoad]

3. It's a pretty amazing event

I looked up the location on Google Earth. It's mind boggling.

[LymphocyteLover]

2. Is there a free version of this article?

Never mind! Just saw the archive version!