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The living bridges of India

For the last 180 years, the inhabitants of the two districts of Meghalaya – East Khasi Hills District and West Jaintia Hills District – have been using living root bridges to cross streams and rivers running through the dense tropical forest.

These bridges stand tall against the test of time, with a capacity to hold 50 people at a time. Today, these natural wonders are among the popular attractions of this northeastern state of India.

Meghalaya receives a lot of rainfall every year which brings challenges to the native tribes there. The rivers and streams become full of water which makes it difficult for the locals to cross the river by foot.

To combat the problem, the people of the tribe came up with a unique solution: to form bridges from the naturally growing roots of rubber trees and bonded to betel nut tree trunks.

The rubber tree roots are put into hollow betel nut plant trunks to grow them in the right direction (i.e. over the river). Once the roots reach the other side of the stream, they are solidified by putting soil, stones, pebbles and sticks in it.

Fun Facts

👉 Makers of the bridge have to plan 15-20 years ahead of making the bridges as these bridges take so much time to build.

👉 These bridges have a life span of about 500 years. So, worth the wait.

You can refer to the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xyGFJcmhII

90 replies on “The living bridges of India”

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