Living Root bridge- Living Wonders of Cherrapunjee, India

Living Root bridge- Living Wonders of Cherrapunjee, India

Living root bridge- the name itself makes us confused and sparks eagerness to know all the information about this amazing living masterpiece. Very few people know that in fact, tree bridge exists for real. It is found in the North Eastern part of India in Meghalaya, Nagaland. These roots are man-made and have a life of about 500 years without any issues. The load that the tree bridge can carry could be somewhere around 500 men present at once.

The root bridge, in general, is created by using rubber fig trees by the people belonging to the Khasi and Jaintia. These individuals live their life at the Southern part of the Shillong Plateau. The same bridges have even been created in Indonesia by the people belonging to a special community called Baduy.

The Living root bridge is constructed using the aerial roots and over the period, it gains its strength and abilities. Through the initial phase, it needs to be given at most care which will result in a mammoth bridge during the later span of its life. The species of Indian rubber tree flourishes as it grows and thrives on the tropical climate.

How Living Root Bridge is formed?


The basic process of growing these amazing roots is done by guiding the Ficus Elastica tree across the stream. As these living roots thrive where there is more water, it simply grows at a faster pace. Though, to make it into a perfect bridge, the young roots are twisted to make it tighter as well as stronger. The living root is allowed to grow at its pace until it has the strength of carrying the weight of a human being. The process of twisting two roots together makes it stronger which is termed as the process of inoculation. These roots have a tendency of growing naturally towards the steep slopes and rocky surfaces. Thus, one can say that it is not difficult for the living-root to grow completely to form a strong bridge over time. Since the bridge is made through living organisms, the average lifespan of a living-root bridge ranges several 100 years. As far as the roots are healthy, it will self-grow itself and become much stronger than what it was before which makes it further stronger.

There are several ways in which these living root bridges can be created. Some of the famous methods of creating these root bridges are:


1. Creating the Living root bridge by using one's own hands

2. Generating a living root bridge using a bamboo scaffold or a wood.

3. Creating the root bridge with the help of Areca Palm Trunks.

4. Creating these amazing bridges utilizing conventional structures like scaffolding.

Over the years the preserve of these bridges slowly started fading out as new ones were created. People of Meghalaya realized it and started taking action in this regard. The reason behind the idea was the expansion of steel bridges along the other towns and cities within Meghalaya. However, to restore the memory of these living root bridges, local residents of the state took a resolution to preserve these amazing natural wonders.

Knowledge pulse before you decide to visit the place:

Prior to visiting any new place, it is quite important to know all the information so that there is no hindrance when in the location. The valleys of Meghalaya and Dawki has a lot of bridges, but all the bridges are not accessible. Some of the most known living root bridges in the destination are quite close to the Cherapunjee Holiday Resort. Here, the first thing that one needs to do is to hire a local guide who would be able to take you to the most known bridges as well as the remotely located living bridges. The resort provides the visitors with the local map guide which has all the location of these bridges. The taxis and autos are available near the resort which can take you to these places. One of the must-visit bridges is the " Double-decker root bridge" located in the village of Nongriat. To reach the location of this bridge, people must traverse a distance of around 1.5- 2.0 K.M. As the stretch is sloppy with rocks all around, it will take around 1.5 hours to reach the location Nongriat. The place offers all the basic accommodation and thus, people can conveniently stay overnight and have a great time. All the nearby bridges can be visited from the Nongriat district a short hike. The place is quite apt for people who love trekking and are quite adventurous.

Another version of the root bridge is also termed as the double-decker root bridges. It can be said that, in fact, the existence of Living Root Bridge is one of the natural marvels that one must never miss out in their life. I would request every individual across the world to make sure to visit this lesser-known natural wonder as it has everything that an adventurer would want in his life.