The Ever Growing Living Root Bridges
There are bridges around the world that are known to be human’s finest creations! But the natural marvel of Living Root Bridges in Meghalaya-India is mind-blowing. These wonderful structures have meticulously grown over a period of time and are among the biggest attractions in Meghalaya.The ever evolving Meghalaya bridges are made up of tangled thick roots that provide formidability to the structure and make it good enough to hold 50 or more people in one go. They are grown by trained Khasi and Jaintia tribes who have mastered the art of growing root bridges across raised banks of streams running through the dense woods of Meghalaya.
The Living Root Bridges are made from rubber tree, Banyan tree roots also known as Ficus elastica tree.
Some of the root bridges are over 100 feet long and take 10 to 15 years to attain the perfect shape.
Once fully grown, these roots last for as long as 500 years. While some of the roots decay because of their continuous association of water, others grow and make up for the decayed, thus providing the required stability to the bridge.
Of all the Living Root Bridges in Meghalaya, the double-decker root bridge in Cherrapunji and the single-decker root bridge in Shillong are the unique bridges in the world and make for prime attraction in the Northeast-India.
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