Living root bridge

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Living root bridge
Living root bridges, Nongriat village, Meghalaya2.jpg
Double living root bridge in East Khasi Hills (2011)
CrossesCreeks
Characteristics
MaterialLiving trees roots
Trough constructionRocks
Total lengthexamples over 50 metres (160 ft)
Widthexamples over 1.5 metres (5 ft)
Design lifeup to 500 years
History
ArchitectWar Khasis, War Jaintias, Konyak Nagas, Baduy people, and other groups
Local Khasis using the young, pliable aerial roots of a fig tree to create a new railing for a bridge near the village of Kongthong 10 Shnongpdei 1.JPG
Local Khasis using the young, pliable aerial roots of a fig tree to create a new railing for a bridge near the village of Kongthong

Living root bridges are a kind of tree shaping in which rivers are spanned by architecture formed out of the roots of ficus plants. Due to their being made from living, growing, trees, they "show a very wide variety of structural typologies, with various aspects of particular bridges resembling characteristics of suspension bridges, cable-stayed bridges, arches, trusses, and simply-supported beams." [1] They are common in the Indian state of Meghalaya.

Contents

The structures are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees ( Ficus elastica [2] [3] ) by the Khasi and Jaiñtia [4] [5] peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau. Most of the bridges grow on steep slopes of subtropical moist broadleaf forest between 50 and 1,150 m (160 and 3,770 ft) above sea level. [6]

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. [7] [8] Without active care, many bridges have decayed or grown wild, becoming unusable. [9] Written documentation of living root bridges was sparse until the 2010s, but in 2017, researchers geo-located a total of 75 living root bridges. [10]

Living root bridges have also been created in the Indian state of Nagaland, [11] in Indonesia at Jembatan akar on the island of Sumatra, and in the Banten province of Java, by the Baduy people. [12]

History

The Khasi people 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. [13] Historically, the earliest written record of Sohra's (Cherrapunji's) living root bridges is by Henry Yule, who expressed astonishment about them in the 1844 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal . [2]

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. 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. [14] [15]

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. [14] [15]

A root bridge can be made in several ways:

By hand

A root bridge in Burma Village, East Khasi Hills, being developed without the aid of a scaffold (2016) Root bridge, Burma village.jpg
A root bridge in Burma Village, East Khasi Hills, being developed without the aid of a scaffold (2016)

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. [16]

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

A root bridge being grown using a wood and bamboo scaffold. Rangthylliang, East Khasi Hills (2016) Rangthylliang new bridge.jpg
A root bridge being grown using a wood and bamboo scaffold. Rangthylliang, East Khasi Hills (2016)

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. [16]

Areca Palm trunks

A living root bridge is being developed with rubber fig strands being guided along a halved areca palm trunk (2016) Double Decker Areca Trunk method.jpg
A living root bridge is being developed with rubber fig strands being guided along a halved areca palm trunk (2016)

Some living root bridges are grown by training young rubber fig roots through the hollowed-out trunks of areca nut palms. The pliable tree roots are made to grow through betel tree trunks [17] [8] 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, [18] to protect them, and provide them with nutrients as they decay. [16] Sticks, stones, and other objects are used to stabilize the growing bridge. [2] This process can take up to 15 years to complete. [19]

Conventional structures

Rubber fig roots have been trained across a pre-existing steel bridge, in the hope that eventually, as the steel elements fail, the roots will form into a usable living root bridge (2016) Hybrid root-steel bridge. .jpg
Rubber fig roots have been trained across a pre-existing steel bridge, in the hope that eventually, as the steel elements fail, the roots will form into a usable living root bridge (2016)

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. [16] 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. [16]

Distribution

Rangthylliang 1 root bridge, over 50 metres (160 ft) in length, is the longest known example 1 Rangthylliang 1.JPG
Rangthylliang 1 root bridge, over 50 metres (160 ft) in length, is the longest known example

West Jaintia and East Khasi districts

Living root bridges are known to occur in the West Jaintia Hills district and East Khasi Hills district. [20] [21] In the Jaintia Hills, examples of living root bridges can be found in and around the villages of Shnongpdeng, Nongbareh, Khonglah, Padu, Kudeng Thymmai, Siej and Kudeng Rim. [20] In the East Khasi Hills, living root bridges nearby Cherrapunji are known to exist in and around the villages of Tynrong, [22] Mynteng, Nongriat, Nongthymmai, and Laitkynsew. [23]

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. [24] Many more can be found near the town of Pynursla, including in the villages of Mawkyrnot and Rangthylliang [25] and Mawlynnong.

Notable root bridges

The double-decker two-lane living root bridge of Padu Village (2015) 27 Padu 3.JPG
The double-decker two-lane living root bridge of Padu Village (2015)

At over 50 metres (160 ft) in length, the longest known example of a living root bridge [26] is near the small Khasi town of Pynursla in India, which can be accessed from either the village of Mawkyrnot or Rangthylliang. This bridge is known as Rangthylliang bridge. [18]

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. [7] 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, [20] and one is in Burma Village, in the East Khasi Hills. [20] There is also a "Double Decker" (or possibly even "Triple Decker") near the village of Rangthylliang, close to Pynursla. [21]

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. [27] 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 bleachers. 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. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ficus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the mulberry family Moraceae

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The common fig (F. carica) is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region, which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banyan</span> Subgenus of plants, the banyans

A banyan, also spelled banian, is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as an epiphyte, i.e. a plant that grows on another plant, when its seed germinates in a crack or crevice of a host tree or edifice. "Banyan" often specifically denotes Ficus benghalensis, which is the national tree of India, though the name has also been generalized to denominate all figs that share a common life cycle and used systematically in taxonomy to denominate the subgenus Urostigma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghalaya</span> State in northeastern India

Meghalaya is a state in northeast India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills and (b) the Garo Hills. The estimated population of Meghalaya in 2014 was 3,211,474. Meghalaya covers an area of approximately 22,429 square kilometres, with a length-to-breadth ratio of about 3:1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khasi people</span> Ethnic group in North-East India

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 Meghalaya, that is Khasi Hills, constituting 78.3% of the region's population, and is the state's largest community, with around 48% of the population of Meghalaya. They are among the few Austroasiatic-speaking peoples in South Asia. The Khasi tribe holds the distinction of being one of the few remaining tribes that have a matrilineal society. Under the Constitution of India, the Khasis have been granted the status of Scheduled Tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerial root</span> Root which grows above the ground

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, the warm-temperate rainforest rata, and pohutukawa trees of New Zealand. Vines such as common ivy and poison ivy also have aerial roots.

<i>Ficus microcarpa</i> Species of fig

Ficus microcarpa, also known as Chinese banyan, Malayan banyan, Indian laurel, curtain fig, or gajumaru (ガジュマル), is a tree in the fig family Moraceae. It is native in a range from China through tropical Asia and the Caroline Islands to Australia. It is widely planted as a shade tree and frequently misidentified as F. retusa or as F. nitida.

Mawsynram is a town in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in Northeastern India, 69 kilometres from Shillong, the state capital. Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in India. It is reportedly the wettest place on Earth, with an average annual rainfall of 11,872 millimetres (467.4 in). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mawsynram received 26,000 millimetres (1,000 in) of rainfall in 1985. Mawsynram received 745.2 mm of rainfall on 19 August 2015, probably the highest rainfall received by the town in recent times. On 17 June 2022, Mawsynram set a new record by receiving 1003.6 mm in a span of 24 hours which has now become its highest single day record for the month of June and for its all-time single day record, beating its former record of 944.7 mm on 7 June 1966.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Khasi Hills district</span> District of Meghalaya in India

East Khasi Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The district headquarters are located at Shillong. The district occupies an area of 2,748 km² and has a population of 825,922. As of 2011, it is the most populous district of Meghalaya's 12 districts.

<i>Ficus elastica</i> Species of banyan tree

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 naturalized in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and the US state of Florida. Despite its common names, it is not used in the commercial production of natural rubber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherrapunji</span> Town in Meghalaya, India

Cherrapunji or Sohra is a sub-divisional town East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It was the traditional capital of ka hima Sohra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghalaya subtropical forests</span> Ecoregion of India

The Meghalaya subtropical forests is Northeast India. The ecoregion covers an area of 41,700 square kilometers (16,100 sq mi), and despite its name, comprise not only the state of Meghalaya, but also parts of southern Assam, and a tiny bit of Nagaland around Dimapur and adjacent Bangladesh. It also contains many other habitats than subtropical forests, but the montane subtropical forests found in Meghalaya is an important biome, and was once much more widespread in the region, and for these reasons chosen as the most suitable name. The scientific designation is IM0126.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree shaping</span> Use of living trees to create structures and art

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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 'bridge of the rubber tree', is 53 feet long and over 100 years old. The Ka Likai waterfall, near the neighboring village of Nongriat, can best be seen from Laitkynsew, and the monsoon season in autumn is the most impressive time to view it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nongriat</span> Village in Meghalaya, India

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 village has three functional root bridges. These are crafted by hand, as the Khasi people have done in the Khasi Hills for centuries, intertwining and weaving together the aerial roots of banyan trees on opposite sides of a stream-filled gorge. Jingkieng Nongriat, better known simply as Double Decker, has been featured on international television programs such as the Human Planet series filmed in 2008 by BBC Wales, and a documentary by Osamu Monden in June 2004 for Asahi TV in Japan. There is another functioning living root bridge upstream from Nongriat, along with a hybrid structure that is made from both roots and steel wire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balete tree</span> Several species of Filipino Ficus trees

The balete tree are several species of trees in the Philippines from the genus Ficus, which are broadly referred to as balete in the local language. A number of these are strangler figs, as they germinate upon other trees, before entrapping their host tree entirely and eventually killing it. Consequently the young plants are hemiepiphytes, i.e. epiphytes or air plants that grow several hanging roots which eventually touch the ground and take root. Some baletes produce natural rubber of an inferior quality. The Indian rubber tree, F. elastica, was formerly cultivated to some extent for rubber. Some of the species like tangisang-bayawak or Ficus variegata are large and could probably be utilized for match wood. The wood of Ficus species are soft, light, and of inferior quality, and the trees usually have ill-formed, short boles.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge</span> Living root bridge in Meghalya, India

Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge is a living root bridge in Meghalaya, India. It can be reached via trekking 45 km from Cherapunji. The trek is 6500 steps. There is also a waterfall nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kongthong</span> Village in Meghalaya, India

Kongthong, popularly called the Singing Village, is a village and tourist attraction in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in the Northeast hilly region of India. Kongthong, India's entry for United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)'s World's Best Village Contest, is also aiming for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangthylliang 1 root bridge</span> Living root bridge in Cherrapunji, India

Rangthylliang 1 root bridge is a living root bridge in Cherrapunji region, Meghalaya, northeast India. It is considered to be the longest living root bridge, at over 50 metres (160 ft) in length. The bridge, named after the village of Rangthylliang, where various other root bridges can also be found, is situated 30 metres (98 ft) above the ground. The trek for visiting the living root bridges starts in Rangthylliang and ends in Mawkyrnot village.

References

  1. ↑ Ludwig, Ferdinand; Middleton, Wilfrid; Gallenmüller, Friederike; Rogers, Patrick; Speck, Thomas (22 August 2019). "Living bridges using aerial roots of ficus elastica – an interdisciplinary perspective". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 12226. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-48652-w. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   6706416 .
  2. 1 2 3 Lewin, Brent (November 2012), "India's living Bridges", Reader's Digest Australia, pp. 82–89, archived from the original on 16 November 2012
  3. ↑ "Living Root Bridge in Laitkynsew India". www.india9.com. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  4. ↑ Reporter, By Our (21 November 2011). "End of Khasi-Pnar benevolence". The Shillong Times. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Ludwig, Ferdinand; Middleton, Wilfrid; Gallenmüller, Friederike; Rogers, Patrick; Speck, Thomas (22 August 2019). "Living bridges using aerial roots of ficus elastica – an interdisciplinary perspective". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 12226. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-48652-w. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   6706416 .
  6. ↑ Ludwig, Ferdinand & Middleton, Wilfrid & Gallenmüller, Friederike & Rogers, Patrick & Speck, Thomas. (2019). Living bridges using aerial roots of ficus elastica – an interdisciplinary perspective. Scientific Reports. 9. 10.1038/s41598-019-48652-w.
  7. 1 2 Ludwig, Ferdinand; Middleton, Wilfrid; Gallenmüller, Friederike; Rogers, Patrick; Speck, Thomas (22 August 2019). "Living bridges using aerial roots of ficus elastica – an interdisciplinary perspective". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 12226. Bibcode:2019NatSR...912226L. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-48652-w . ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   6706416 . PMID   31439904.
  8. 1 2 Chithra, K.; Krishnan, K. Amritha (2015). Implementing Campus Greening Initiatives. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. pp. 113–124. ISBN   978-3-319-11960-1.
  9. ↑ Middleton, Wilfrid & Habibi, Amin & Shankar, Sanjeev & Ludwig, Ferdinand. (2020). Characterizing Regenerative Aspects of Living Root Bridges. Sustainability. 12. 10.3390/su12083267.
  10. ↑ Middleton, Wilfrid; Habibi, Amin; Shankar, Sanjeev; Ludwig, Ferdinand (17 April 2020). "Characterizing Regenerative Aspects of Living Root Bridges". Sustainability. 12 (8): 3267. doi: 10.3390/su12083267 . ISSN   2071-1050.
  11. ↑ "Living Root Bridges of Nagaland India – Nyahnyu Village Mon District | Guy Shachar". guyshachar.com. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Grundhauser, Eric, WEST SUMATRA, INDONESIA Jembatan Akar, Atlasobscura
  13. ↑ Watson, Julia (2020). Lo-TEK : design by radical indigenism. Wade Davis. Cologne. p. 50. ISBN   978-3-8365-7818-9. OCLC   1130119634.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. 1 2 "Cherrapunjee.com: A Dream Place". Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  15. 1 2 "Living Root Bridge". Online Highways LLC. 21 October 2005. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "How are Living Root Bridges Made?". The Living Root Bridge Project. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  17. ↑ Vallangi, Neelima. "Indias amazing living root bridges". BBC. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  18. 1 2 Thomas Vallas (25 May 2017). "Using nature in architecture Building a living house with mycelium and trees". Frontiers of Architectural Research. peer reviewer Luc Courard.
  19. ↑ Baker, Russ (6 October 2011). "Re-Envisioning Our Environment". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Rogers, Patrick A. (2 September 2015). "evenfewergoats: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 1: Bridges of The Umngot River Basin". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  21. 1 2 Rogers, Patrick A. (14 September 2015). "evenfewergoats: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 2: Bridges Near Pynursla". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  22. ↑ Rogers, Patrick A. (26 January 2014). "evenfewergoats: An Unknown Living Root Bridge". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Cherrapunjee". Cherrapunjee. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  24. ↑ Rogers, Patrick A. (24 September 2015). "evenfewergoats: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 3: Bridges of the 12 Villages". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "At the Heart of Living Root Bridge". Meghalaya Tourism. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  26. ↑ "At the Heart of Living Root Bridge". Meghalaya Tourism. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  27. 1 2 Rogers, Patrick A. (1 October 2015). "evenfewergoats: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 4: Living Root Ladders and other uses for living root architecture". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
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