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Have You Heard of India’s Living Root Bridges?
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Did you know for generations India has been using a system of living bridges created by manipulating tree roots?
The living root bridges can be found at Cherrapunji, Laitkynsew, and Nongriat, in the present-day Meghalaya state of northeast India.
Meghalaya is one of the wettest places on earth. The flow of the rivers holds such force that in monsoon season, crossing them can be a life -threatening task.
The culture decided to work with nature, instead of against it.
And with that, they shape trees either side of the river to create suspension bridges, handmade from aerial roots of living banyan fig trees.
The process takes up to 15 years to complete—where I am sure they gain some valuable lessons in patience—and some span over 100 feet. The bridges last for 500 to 600 years.
They are naturally self-renewing and self-strengthening as the component roots grow thicker. The bridges can hold up to 50 people at a time and unlike a steel bridge, that grows weaker with time, these natural bridges grow stronger with time.
The Khasi people are the indigenous people of the area and can’t say how far back this tradition stems, but the first written recording was in 1844. The tradition is still strong and continues to be passed down to the next generation.
How’s that for sustainable living architecture at its finest?
Double decker suspension bridges made from Banyan fig tree roots. (Screenshot/YouTube)
Manipulated roots shaped to hold the structure. (Screenshot/YouTube)
An example of how sturdy a bridge is to walk. (Screenshot/YouTube)
Bird’s-eye view of a bridge. (Screenshot/YouTube)
A bridge can hold up to 50 people. (Screenshot/YouTube)
Sustainable living architecture. (Image: Flickr/Rajkumar1220)
www.visiontimes.com
Source: http://www.visiontimes.com/2015/04/16/have-you-heard-of-indias-living-root-bridges.html
