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‘The knowledge of our elders’: India’s living root bridges submitted to Unesco

 Provided by The Guardian Photograph: David Talukdar/Alamy

The mountainous state of Meghalaya in the north-east has more than 100 such bridges in 70 villages, unique structures created by a combination of nature and human ingenuity.

Once a bamboo structure has been stretched across the river, the roots of the tree, usually the rubber tree (Ficus Elastica), are teased and manipulated to become entwined with the bamboo until it becomes a strong mesh.

The roots are allowed to grow gradually and strengthen over time. In the initial stages, only about 15-20 people can cross the bridge in a day. Much later, it can be as many as 50 or more, although it can take up to two decades for a living roots bridge to be finished.

In a remote region like Meghalaya, known as the “Abode of Clouds” and claiming the title of “wettest place on earth”, Cherrapunji, building roads is not feasible. The topography is dense jungle dotted with waterfalls, steep slopes, lakes and streams.

The living root bridges are the only way people in a village can cross a river to reach the other side to farm, sell produce, reach a doctor or send children to school. During general elections, officials on horseback carrying ballot boxes to remote villages have no other means of reaching voters but these natural bridges.

Known locally as Jingkieng Jri, some bridges are double-deckers. Some are high above a valley, while others are just a few metres above the surface of a river.

Provided by The Guardian Tourists pose for photographs on a living root bridge in Mawlynnong, Meghalaya. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

A description on the Unesco website says: “Grown by indigenous Khasi tribal communities, these structural ecosystems have performed in extreme climatic conditions for centuries, and encapsulate a profound harmony between humans and nature … validating the resilience of an ancient culture, where collective cooperation and reciprocity were the fundamental building blocks of life.

“Each living root structure reveals a distinct ethno-botanical journey rooted in profound culture-nature reciprocity and synthesis. The intergenerational growth process of nurturing a sapling into a robust load-bearing structure in extreme climate and geography reveals exceptional enterprise and skill, suggesting a masterpiece of human creative genius.”

Reference: The Guardian: Amrit Dhillon in Delhi