Living Root Bridge in Mawlynnong

In the depths of northeastern India, one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren’t built – they’re grown.

Living Root Bridge as the name suggests are made from the roots of the living banyan fig trees and are mostly present in the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. Mawlynnong which is considered as Aisa’s cleanest village is also famous for its double decker and single decker living root bridge.

The living root bridge are not built naturally but the members of the Khasi tribe are trained to grow them from the roots of ancient rubber trees making them a man-made natural wonder. It takes around 15 years for a bridge to complete but they grow strong with time and can live for more than 100 years. These root bridge are also supposed to be extraordinarily strong and can support the weight of 50 or more people at a time. In the past 25 years, however, the practice of building these living bridges has been dying out. Rather than spend years creating living paths, builders today use steel rope and modern construction methods to bridge Meghalaya’s streams and rivers. Though the locals are trying to keep the tradition alive and a new double decker bridge is being grown and should be ready to use within a few years.