Naturally Grown Bridge In Cherrapunji, India

The town of Cherrapunji is located in the lower reaches of the mountains and Hasi Janta in northeast India where attracts many rivers and mountain streams, this area is considered the most rainy in the world. Here and “grow” these unusual “live” bridges, for this purpose, the roots of Ficus Elastica or also called – Ficus elastic (Latin Ficus elastica.) The fact is that from the ficus come secondary roots, which are constantly growing and evolving, sometimes reaching a length of up to several tens of meters napletayas while on huge boulders on river banks. Due to such characteristics of the trees, the locals have long learned from these roots to create bridges.

We are all accustomed to the fact that the bridge is artificially created by man of man-made construction materials ranging from the most simple bridge, which serves as a material for the rope, wood and ending with the most complex is the concrete and steel ropes. And when we see that for the bridge were the only “live”, natural materials, which are also still growing and developing, we are struck by this. Such bridges are located in the Indian town of Cherrapunji, Meghalaya state. flickr/Reshmi & Saikat

The tribes that live here, in Hasi Megalae has long build such facilities, so you can meet a lot of bridges in the area, the age of some of them up to 500 years. Creation process is not complicated, but before completion of strong bridge may take a long time, up to 15 years. At first, people were cut from the trunks of long hazel twigs and tossed them across the river, letting them young roots of ficus roots grew and intertwined, bonded together and bars, gradually reaching the opposite bank of the river, and obtained “live” bridges.

Over the years, the roots thicken and get stronger, strong enough bridges are obtained and are free to withstand even a group of people of fifty people. The length of such “live” bridges can be up to 30 meters, which is not enough for both natural installations. There are also two-level bridges when one root system built up over the first created earlier level, it is located in Nongriate. These sites are very unusual, picturesque, beautiful and unique, and they like to visit, tourists feeling great joy when it is possible to use one of these bridges.

Naturally Grown Bridge In Cherrapunji, India