![10 Shnongpdei 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/10_Shnongpdei_1.JPG)
A living root bridge is a type of
simple suspension bridge
A simple suspension bridge (also rope bridge, swing bridge (in New Zealand), suspended bridge, hanging bridge and catenary bridge) is a primitive type of bridge in which the deck of the bridge lies on two parallel load-bearing cables that ar ...
formed of living
plant roots
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
by
tree shaping
Tree shaping (also known by several other alternative names) uses living trees and other woody plants as the medium to create structures and art. There are a few different methods used by the various artists to shape their trees, which share a ...
. They are common in the southern part of the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
. They are handmade from the
aerial root
Aerial roots are roots above the ground. They are almost always adventitious. They are found in diverse plant species, including epiphytes such as orchids (''Orchidaceae''), tropical coastal swamp trees such as mangroves, banyan figs ('' F ...
s of rubber fig trees (''
Ficus elastica
''Ficus elastica'', the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South and Southeast Asia. It has become nat ...
''
) by the
Khasi and
Jaiñtia peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the
Shillong Plateau
The Shillong Plateau is a plateau in eastern Meghalaya state, northeastern India. The plateau's southern, northern and western ridges form the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills respectively.
The plateau shows numerous fracture lineaments in satellit ...
. Most of the bridges grow on steep slopes of subtropical moist broadleaf forest between above sea level.
As long as the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the roots in the bridge can naturally grow thick and strengthen. New roots can grow throughout the tree's life and must be pruned or manipulated to strengthen the bridge. Once mature, some bridges can have as many as 50 or more people crossing, and have a lifespan of several hundred years.
Without active care, many bridges have decayed or grown wild, becoming unusable. Written documentation of living root bridges was sparse until the 2010s, but in 2017, researchers geo-located a total of 75 living root bridges.
Living root bridges have also been created in the Indian state of Nagaland, in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
at
Jembatan akar on the island of
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, and in the
Banten
Banten ( id, Banten; Sundanese: , romanized ''Banten'') is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Se ...
province of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, by the
Baduy people
Baduy people (sometimes spelled as Badui or Kanekes) are an indigenous Sundanese ethnic group native to the southeastern part of Banten specifically Lebak Regency on western hemisphere of Java island in Indonesia.
Etymology
The term is a short ...
.
History
The
Khasi people
The Khasi people are an ethnic group of Meghalaya in north-eastern India with a significant population in the bordering state of Assam, and in certain parts of Bangladesh. Khasi people form the majority of the population of the eastern part of M ...
do not know when or how the tradition of living root bridges started. In Khasi mythology, their ancestors descended from a living roots ladder that connected heaven and earth, ''jingkieng ksiar.'' Historically, the earliest written record of Sohra's (Cherrapunji's) living root bridges is by
Henry Yule
Sir Henry Yule (1 May 1820 – 30 December 1889) was a Scottish Oriental studies, Orientalist and geographer. He published many travel books, including translations of the work of Marco Polo and ''Mirabilia'' by the 14th-century Dominican ...
, who expressed astonishment about them in the 1844 ''Journal of
the Asiatic Society of Bengal''.
Methods of creation
A living root bridge is formed by guiding the pliable roots of the
rubber fig tree across a stream or river, and then allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time until they can hold the weight of a human being. The young roots are sometimes tied or twisted together, and are often encouraged to combine via the process of
inosculation
Inosculation is a natural phenomenon in which trunks, branches or roots of two trees grow together in a manner biologically similar to the artificial process of grafting. The term is derived from the Latin roots ''in'' + '' ōsculārī'', "to ...
. As the rubber fig tree is well suited to anchoring itself to steep slopes and rocky surfaces, it is not difficult to encourage its roots to take hold on the opposite sides of river banks.
As they are made from living, growing organisms, the useful lifespan of any given living root bridge is variable. It is thought that, under ideal conditions, a root bridge can last for many hundreds of years. As long as the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the bridge will naturally self-renew and self-strengthen as its component roots grow thicker.
A root bridge can be made in several ways:
By hand
![Root bridge, Burma village](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Root_bridge%2C_Burma_village.jpg)
Some living root bridges are created entirely by manipulating the roots of the rubber fig tree by hand, and without the aid of a scaffolding or any other natural or human-made materials.
Often, locals using root bridges will make small alterations to them, manipulating young roots as the opportunity presents itself. Because of this, one can say that the development of a living root bridge is very much a social endeavor and that the structures are perpetual works in progress.
Wood or bamboo scaffold
![Rangthylliang new bridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Rangthylliang_new_bridge.jpg)
Root bridges are also commonly formed by training young rubber fig roots over scaffolds made from wood or bamboo, materials which are abundant in Northeast India. In these instances, the roots are wrapped around the outside of the perishable material. The scaffolds may be replaced many times over the years as the root bridge becomes stronger.
Areca Palm trunks
![Double Decker Areca Trunk method](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Double_Decker_Areca_Trunk_method.jpg)
Some living root bridges are grown by training young rubber fig roots through the hollowed-out trunks of
areca nut
''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...
palms. The pliable tree roots are made to grow through
betel tree
''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in sou ...
trunks
[ which have been placed across rivers and streams until the figs' roots attach themselves to the other side. The trunks serve to guide the roots,] to protect them, and provide them with nutrients as they decay. Sticks, stones, and other objects are used to stabilize the growing bridge. This process can take up to 15 years to complete.
Conventional structures
Root bridges can also be trained by guiding the young roots of rubber fig trees across conventional structures, such as already existing steel wire suspension bridges. As the structure being used as a scaffold is already functional, the problem of the length of time it takes for a root bridge to become functional is here essentially bypassed; the conventional structure can be used until the more sustainable root bridge is sufficiently strong.
Distribution
West Jaintia and East Khasi districts
Living root bridges are known to occur in the West Jaintia Hills district
West Jaintia Hills (Pron: ˈʤeɪnˌtɪə) is an administrative District in the state of Meghalaya in India. The united district (Jaintia Hills District) was created on 22 February 1972 and occupied an area of 3819 km2. It had a population ...
and East Khasi Hills district. In the Jaintia Hills, examples of living root bridges can be found in and around the villages of Shnongpdeng, Nongbareh, Khonglah
Khonglah is a place in Meghalaya, north-eastern India, as well as the name of a War
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is gene ...
, Padu, Kudeng Thymmai, Siej and Kudeng Rim. In the East Khasi Hills, living root bridges nearby Cherrapunji are known to exist in and around the villages of Tynrong, Mynteng, Nongriat
Nongriat is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya State, in north-eastern India. It is perhaps best known for its living root bridges; one an impressive double-decker suspension bridge called Jingkieng Nongriat. The vill ...
, Nongthymmai, and Laitkynsew
Laitkynsew is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya State, in north-eastern India. It is perhaps best known for its living root bridges. The Umnnoi living root bridge, known locally as ''Jingkieng Deingjri'', which means 'b ...
.
East of Cherrapunji, examples of living root bridges are known to exist in the Khatarshnong region, in and around the villages of Nongpriang, Sohkynduh, Kongthong, Rymmai, and Mawshuit. Many more can be found near Pynursla and Mawlynnong.
Notable root bridges
At over 50 meters in length, the longest known example of a living root bridge is near the small Khasi town of Pynursla in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, which can be accessed from either the village of Mawkyrnot or Rangthylliang. This bridge is known as Rangthylliang bridge.
There are several examples of double living-root bridges, the most famous being the "Double Decker" root bridge of Nongriat which is estimated to be 200 years old. There are three known examples of double-decker bridges with two parallel or nearly parallel spans. Two are in the West Jaintia Hills near the villages of Padu and Nongbareh, and one is in Burma Village, in the East Khasi Hills. There is also a "Double Decker" (or possibly even "Triple Decker") near the village of Rangthylliang, close to Pynursla.
Other root structures
The Khasi and Jaiñtia also make several other kinds of structures out of the aerial roots of rubber trees. These include ladders and platforms. For example, in the village of Kudeng Rim in the West Jaintia Hills, a rubber tree next to a football field has been modified so that its branches can serve as living root bleacher
Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...
s. Aerial roots of the tree have been interwoven in the spaces between several branches so that platforms have been created from which villagers can watch football games.
See also
* Baubotanik: Building with both technical joints and plant growth.
* Espalier
Espalier ( or ) is the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame. Plants are frequently shaped in formal patterns, flat against a struct ...
: Old practice of training fruit trees into flat two-dimensional forms
* Fab Tree Hab: hypothetical home of shaped trees
* List of longest bridges above water in India
This is a list of India's bridges longer than , sorted by their full length above water.
Bridges
See also
*List of longest bridges in the world
*List of road–rail bridges
*List of bridges in India
*List of longest bridges in West Bengal
...
* Pleaching
Pleaching or plashing is a technique of interweaving living and dead branches through a hedge creating a fence, hedge or lattices. Trees are planted in lines, and the branches are woven together to strengthen and fill any weak spots until the hed ...
: Way of creating a hedge with plants for stock control
* Topiary
Topiary is the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants w ...
: The clipping of foliage of perennial plants into clearly defined shapes
References
External links
"The Living Natural Root Bridgew in Meghalaya"
unbelievable-facts.com
"Living Root Bridges"
also living fig ladders as well as bridges
"Living Root Bridges of Cherrapunji"
at inhabitat.com
"Living Root Bridges at Cherrapunji In Megahalya"
at blotub.com
" Magic of turning roots into bridges "
at familyonthewheels.com
* https://livingrootbridges.com/
Video clip
depicting the training of roots, by the bamboo scaffold method, in an existing root bridge dating to 1840 in the village of Nohwet in East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
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