Living Root Bridge

Living Root Bridges Latest News

Recently, India submitted Meghalaya’s living root bridges to UNESCO for World Heritage status.

About Living Root Bridges

• The living root bridges are locally known as Jingkieng Jri or Lyu Chrai.
• These are nestled across the lush southern slopes of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya.
• These are masterpieces of bioengineering created by indigenous communities.
• These are grown by indigenous Khasi and Jaintia tribes over a time period of 15 to 30 years.
• These bridges range in span from 15 feet to 250 feet, and last for several centuries.

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Construction of Living Root Bridges

• The bridges are grown by methods of tree-shaping using the aerial roots of Ficus Elastica (Rubber fig tree/Indian rubber tree).
• The underlying growth process involves recurring inosculation (joining by twining) of Ficus aerial root fibres over a gorge or river.
• The process begins with placing of young pliable aerial roots in hollowed Areca catechu trunks.
• These provide essential nutrition and protection from the weather, and also perform as root guidance systems.
• This assemblage is structurally supported by a bamboo scaffold, which spans the river and performs as a temporary river crossing for the local community.
• Over time, as the aerial roots increase in strength and thickness, the Areca catechu trunks are no longer required.

Source: News On Air