The triennial pilgrimage, which attracted about 34 million people in 2013, necessitates that the municipalities hosting the events construct functional temporary structures to transport, house, and feed massive crowds.

In 2013, a Harvard University team followed the large-scale event from its planning stages through the actual celebration, studying and recording ideas for flexible urban planning and advising organizers on environmental challenges.

This huge hardcover includes city maps, aerial pictures, and photographs of this most interesting feat of urban planning, as well as their complete study findings.

The book 'Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity,' edited by Rahul Mehrotra and Felipe Vera and co-published by Social scientists, management strategists, public policy analysts, urban planners, and public health professionals provide readers with inter-disciplinary viewpoints from Harvard University's South Asia Institute.

Many of the important points stated in this book are based on ethnographic research conducted by a group of Harvard University senior professors. The authors of this chapter not only elaborated and evaluated the infrastructure made available during the Kumbh Mela period, but they also assessed the spiritual affinity of pilgrims that visit the pop-up city. Hatje Cantz published the book on July 3rd, 2015.

The photo essays and intimate pictures of pilgrims bear witness to the joy of Christians and public servants alike. This book is a good read for South Asian scholars interested in pilgrims' spiritual experiences and the distinctiveness of Indian cultures.