The fair involves ritual bathing on the banks of Godavari river, at the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple (in Trimbak) and the Ram Kund in Nashik.

It states that when Jupiter entered Leo or Simha (which happens once in 12 years), people from far away would come to Trimbak for a large gathering which was famous in all parts of the Mughal Empire.

Over 30,000 pilgrims were being held back by barricades in a narrow street leading to the Ramkund, a holy spot, so the sadhus could take the first ceremonial bath.

One of the projects conducted here was by MIT, called the "Kumbhathon", that tried to identify ways to improve crowd and civic management during intense periods of mass migration [12] The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha is held once in 12 years.

In recent years, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha has implemented various technological solutions to manage large crowds and enhance the pilgrim experience.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, in partnership with local organizations, launched "Kumbhathon" to develop solutions for the 2015 Kumbh Mela, addressing crowd management, food distribution, and public health issues.

[14][15] Led by Professor Ramesh Raskar of the MIT Media Lab and involving team members including John Werner,[16] the Kumbhathon initiative brought together local entrepreneurs, engineers, and students to create innovative solutions.

[17] Key advancements included: The collaboration between MIT Media Lab, local innovators, and various stakeholders demonstrated the potential of technology in transforming large-scale religious gatherings and urban environments.