Living root bridges

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Living root bridges
Living root bridges, Nongriat village, Meghalaya2.jpg
Double living root bridge in East Khasi Hills
CrossesCreeks
Characteristics
MaterialLiving trees roots
Trough constructionRocks
Total lengthover 50 meters
Widthover 1.5 meters
Load limitup to 500 people
Design lifeup to 500 years
History
ArchitectMeghalayan
A living root bridge near the village of Kongthong undergoing repairs. The local War Khasis in the photo are using the young, pliable aerial roots of a fig tree to create a new railing for the bridge. 10 Shnongpdei 1.JPG
A living root bridge near the village of Kongthong undergoing repairs. The local War Khasis in the photo are using the young, pliable aerial roots of a fig tree to create a new railing for the bridge.

Living root bridges are a form of tree shaping common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. They are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees ( Ficus elastica [1] [2] ) by the Khasi and Jaintia [3] peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau. Root bridges have also been observed in the Indian state of Nagaland. [4]

Contents

Living root bridges have also been created in Indonesia at Jembatan akar on the island of Sumatra, and in the banten provence of Java, by the Baduy people. [5] [6]

Methods of creating living root bridges

A living root bridge is formed by guiding the pliable roots of the Ficus elastica 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 with one another via the process of inosculation. As the Ficus elastica 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. [7] [8]

There are several different ways in which a root bridge can be made.

Root bridge generation by hand

Some living root bridges are created entirely by manipulating the roots of the Ficus elastica tree by hand, and without the aid of a scaffolding or any other natural or man made materials. [9]

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

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.

Root bridge generation using a wood or bamboo scaffold

Root bridges are also commonly formed by training young Ficus elastica 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. [9]

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

Root bridge generation using Areca Palm trunks

Some living root bridges are grown by training young Ficus elastica roots through the hollowed-out trunks of Areca nut palms. The pliable tree roots are made to grow through betel tree trunks [10] 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 to provide them with nutrients as they decay. [9] Sticks, stones, and other objects are used to stabilize the growing bridge [1] This process can take up to 15 years to complete. [11] This means of creating living root bridges can best be observed near the tourist friendly village of Nongriat.

Here, a living root bridge is being developed with Ficus elastica strands being guided along a halved Areca Palm trunk. Double Decker Areca Trunk method.jpg
Here, a living root bridge is being developed with Ficus elastica strands being guided along a halved Areca Palm trunk.

Root bridge generation using conventional structures as scaffolding

Root bridges can also be trained by guiding the young roots of Ficus elastica trees across conventional structures, such as already existing steel wire suspension bridges. [9] 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. [9]

Here, Ficus elastica 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. Hybrid root-steel bridge. .jpg
Here, Ficus elastica 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.

Locations

Living root bridges are known to occur in the West Jaintia Hills district and East Khasi Hills district. [3] [12] In the Jaintia Hills, examples of Living Root Bridges can be found in and around the villages of Shnongpdeng, Nongbareh, Khonglah, Padu, Kudeng Thymmai and Kudeng Rim. [3] In the East Khasi Hills, living root bridges nearby Cherrapunji now called Sohra are known to exist in and around the villages of Tynrong, [13] Mynteng, Nongriat, Nongthymmai, and around Laitkynsew. [14] East of Sohra (Cherrapunjee), examples of living root bridges are known to exist in the Khatarshnong region, in and around the villages of Nongpriang, Sohkynduh, Rymmai, Mawshuit, and Kongthong. [15] Many more can be found near Pynursla [12] and around the village of Mawlynnong.

History

The Khasi people do not know when or how the tradition of living root bridges started. The earliest written record of Sohra's (Cherrapunji's) living root bridges is by Lieutenant Henry Yule, who expressed astonishment about them in the 1844 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal . [1]

This living root bridge is the longest known example. 1 Rangthylliang 1.JPG
This living root bridge is the longest known example.

Examples

At over 50 meters in length, the longest known example of a living root bridge [12] is near the small Khasi town of Pynursla, India. It can be accessed from either of the villages of Mawkyrnot or Rangthylliang.

There are several examples of double living root bridges, the most famous being the "Double Decker" root bridge of Nongriat Village, pictured above.

There are three known examples of double bridges with two parallel or nearly parallel spans. Two are in the West Jaintia Hills near the villages of Padu and Nongbareh, [3] and one is in Burma Village, in the East Khasi Hills. [3] There is also a "Double Decker" (or possibly even "Triple Decker") near the village of Rangthylliang, close to Pynursla. [12]

The double living root bridge of Padu Village. 27 Padu 3.JPG
The double living root bridge of Padu Village.

Other examples of living root architecture in Meghalaya

The War Khasis and War Jaintias also make several other kinds of structures out of the aerial roots of rubber trees. These include ladders and platforms. [17] For example, in the village of Kudeng Rim in the West Jaintia Hills, a rubber tree situated 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. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

Meghalaya State in North-east India

Meghalaya is a hilly state in northeastern India. The name means "the abode of clouds" in Sanskrit. The population of Meghalaya as of 2016 is estimated to be 3,211,474. Meghalaya covers an area of approximately 22,430 square kilometres, with a length to breadth ratio of about 3:1.

Shillong City and state capital of Meghalaya, India

Shillong (;) is a hill station in the northeastern part of India and the capital of Meghalaya, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district.Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a population of 143,229 according to the 2011 census. It is said that the rolling hills around the town reminded the British of Scotland. Hence, they would also refer to it as the "Scotland of the East".

Khasi people Ethnic group in India

The Khasi people, endonym: Ki Khun U Hynñiewtrep, are an indigenous ethnic group of Meghalaya in north-eastern India, with a significant population in the bordering state of Assam, and in certain parts of Bangladesh. Their language, Khasi, is categorised as the northernmost Austroasiatic language. Primarily an oral language, they had no script of their own, they used the Bengali script until the arrival of the Welsh missionaries. Particularly significant in this regard was a Welsh evangelist, Thomas Jones, who had transcribed the Khasi language into the Roman Script. The Khasi people form the majority of the population of the eastern part of Meghalaya, and is the state's largest community, with around 48% of the population of Meghalaya. Before the arrival of Christian missionaries, the majority of the Khasi people practised an indigenous tribal religion. Though around 85% of the Khasi populace have embraced Christianity, a substantial minority of the Khasi people still follow and practice their age old indigenous religion, which is known as Ka Niam Khasi or Niam tre. The main Christian denominations followed by the Khasis include Catholicism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, and others. There are also a small number of Khasis, as a result of inter-community marriages, who are Muslims. There are also followers of Khasi Unitarianism as founded by Hajom Kissor Sing Lyngdoh Nongbri. The main crops produced by the Khasi people are betel leaf, areca nut, oranges, local Khasi rice and vegetables. The Khasi people do not have sub-tribes, a confusion that sometimes arises from the expression Khynriam, u Pnar, u Bhoi, u War. This term is mainly based on the geographical location a Khasi inhabits. Khasi inhabiting the northern part are known as Bhoi, as that area is often called Ri Bhoi. People in the east are known as the Pnar, and they call their land as Rilum Jaintia. The south are called War or Ri War, because of its mountainous regions and soil fertility. The west has a number of regional names: Maram, Rimen, Khatsawphra, Mawiang, Lyngam. A Khasi who inhabits the central area is known as Khynriam. The War inhabitants of the Khasi community designed and built living root bridges of the War region. Under the Constitution of India, the Khasis have been granted the status of Scheduled Tribe. A unique feature of the Khasi people is that they follow the matrilineal system of descent and inheritance.

Mawsynram village in Meghalaya, India

Mawsynram is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in north eastern India, 65 kilometres from Shillong. Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in India and the World. It is reportedly the wettest place on Earth, with an average annual rainfall of 11,872 millimetres (467.4 in), but that claim is disputed by Lloró, Colombia, which reported an average yearly rainfall of 12,717 millimetres (500.7 in) between 1952 and 1989 and López de Micay, also in Colombia, which reported 12,892 mm (507.6 in) per year between 1960 and 2012. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mawsynram received 26,000 millimetres (1,000 in) of rainfall in 1985.

Simple suspension bridge type of bridge

A simple suspension bridge is a primitive type of bridge in which the deck of the bridge lies on two parallel load-bearing cables that are anchored at eather end. They have no towers or piers. The cables follow a shallow downward catenary arc which moves in response to dynamic loads on the bridge deck.

East Khasi Hills district 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 2752 km² and has a population of 825,922. As of 2011 it is the most populous district of Meghalaya's seven districts.

<i>Ficus elastica</i> species of plant

Ficus elastica, the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of plant in the fig genus, native to eastern parts of South Asia and southeast Asia. It has become naturalized in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and the US State of Florida.

Cherrapunji Town in Meghalaya, India

Sohra, is a subdivisional town in the East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is the traditional capital of ka hima Nongkhlaw

Khasi Hills mountain in India

The Khasi Hills is a low mountain formation on the Shillong Plateau in Meghalaya state of India. The Khasi Hills are part of the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia range and connects with the Purvanchal Range and larger Patkai Range further east. Khasi Hills, and the whole Garo-Khasi-Jaintia range, are in the so-called Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion.

Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion Ecoregion (WWF)

The Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion is an ecoregion of 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. 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.

The Pnar, also known as Jaintia, are a group of Khasi Tribe in Meghalaya, India. The Pnar people are matrilineal. They speak the Pnar Language which belong to Austro-Asiatic language family and have a very similar to Khasi Language. Pnar people lives in West Jaintia Hills and East Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, India. They called themselves as Ki Hynniew Trep. Their main festival is The Shad Behdeinkhlam, Shad Sukra, Shad Pastieh and Laho Dance.

Sohra, also known as Cherra, is a geographical area located in East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, India. The name "Cherrapunjee" is not the real name of Sohra, and its usage is discouraged due to its colonial history.

The Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) is one of the mainline Protestant churches in India, with over one million adherents, mostly in Northeast India. It is one of the largest Christian denominations in that region.

Mawlynnong is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state in North East India. It is notable for its cleanliness.

Khasi and Jaintia Hills

The Khasi and Jaintia Hills are a mountainous region that was mainly part of Assam and Meghalaya. The Assam Legislative Assembly This area is now part of the present Indian constitutive state of Meghalaya, which includes the present districts of East Jaintia Hills district, headquarter Khliehriat, West Jaintia Hills district, headquarter Jowai, East Khasi Hills district, headquarter Shillong, and West Khasi Hills district, headquarter Nongstoin.

Nohsngithiang Falls waterfall

Nohsngithiang Falls is a seven-segmented waterfall located 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of Mawsmai village in East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. The water falls from a height of 315 metres (1,033 ft) and has an average width of 70 metres (230 ft). making it one of the tallest waterfalls in India.

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.

Nongriat 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.

Tyrna is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya State, in north-eastern India. A succession of stone steps connect the community with neighboring village of Nongriat, just below the Cherrapunji-Laitkynsew bridle path.

Sohra Bridge is a multilingual Indian drama film that conjures magical realism. This film was directed by Bappaditya Bandopadhyay and released in the banner of Homemade Films on 26 February 2016 posthumously of director. The movie's title is inspired by a bridge in Cherrapunji near East Khasi hills in Meghalaya. The dialogue of the film is in Bengali, Assamese and Khasi.

References

  1. 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
  2. ↑ "Living Root Bridge in Laitkynsew India". www.india9.com. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  3. 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.
  4. ↑ "Living Root Bridges of Nagaland India – Nyahnyu Village Mon District | Guy Shachar". guyshachar.com. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  5. ↑ py6unova (13 December 2015). "Baduy Tribe". Ruby Mangunsong. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Grundhauser, Eric, WEST SUMATRA, INDONESIA Jembatan Akar, Atlasobscura
  7. ↑ "Cherrapunjee.com: A Dream Place". Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  8. ↑ "Living Root Bridge". Online Highways LLC. 21 October 2005. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "How are Living Root Bridges Made?". The Living Root Bridge Project. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  10. ↑ Vallangi, Neelima. "Indias amazing living root bridges". BBC. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Baker, Russ (6 October 2011). "Re-Envisioning Our Environment". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Rogers, Patrick A. (14 September 2015). "evenfewergoats: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 2: Bridges Near Pynursla". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  13. ↑ Rogers, Patrick A. (26 January 2014). "evenfewergoats: An Unknown Living Root Bridge". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Cherrapunjee". Cherrapunjee. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Rogers, Patrick A. (2 September 2015). "evenfewergoats: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 1: Bridges of The Umngot River Basin". evenfewergoats. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  17. 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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