India Qilapengqi Plant Bridge (referred to as tree root bridge). Picture: Visual Communications/Getty Ima
When you go to the wettest place in the world, you won’t want to walk on those artificial bridges, but turn your head to cross the living bridge that is still growing.
According to the Guinness World Record, the two places with the highest annual rainfall on the earth are in northeastern India, Meghalaya on the border of .
The Mawsynram village in its country ranked first with an annual rainfall of 467 inches (11.86 meters), followed by Kirapengzi, with annual rainfall of 463 inches (11.76 meters).
The Cassi people living in this area use their ingenuity to create a bridge that will not decay under such humid conditions.
The written record of Huogen Bridge appeared more than a century ago. Picture: Danielrao/Getty Images
Origin of the tree root bridge
June to September each year is the monsoon season in India. The Meghalaya River has soared, and local residents are in trouble on their daily travel. According to the BBC, the former Cassi people would use bamboo to build bridges, but this artificial building could not withstand the violent storm and would soon rot.
Therefore, the Cassi turned his attention to a kind of banyan , which is usually called the Indian rubber tree.
But it takes a long time to complete a live bridge made of tree roots, and it takes at least 10 to 30 years to make the tree roots look like a bridge at least. But once the bridge is formed, it can survive for centuries, and is strong and durable, able to accommodate more than 35 people at a time across the bridge.
The root of the banyan is twisted and tied into the shape of a bridge. Picture: anielrao/Getty Images
Traditionally, the Cassi people would climb a tree on both sides of the river bank and then wrap the roots on a temporary wooden bridge. The wooden bridge will guide the tree roots to the other end of the river bank. When the roots reach the opposite side of the river bank, the Kassi people will plant the roots down into the ground. Then as time goes by, the roots gradually grow and grow, becoming a solid bridge.
Although no one knows when the first live-root bridge was built, written records of using tree roots to build the bridge appeared more than 100 years ago.
The iconic double-layer tree root bridge
There are dozens of tree root bridges in northern India, but the Umshiang double-layer tree root bridge is arguably the easiest to identify.
This bridge is built on the Umshiang River and is characterized by stacking two suspension bridges on each other.
Picture: Courtesy of Adam Rosendahl
But if you really want to go hiking to visit this double-layer tree root bridge is really not a joke, first of all, you have to prepare for a 3,000-step journey through the lush valley.
Along the way, tourists will cross rivers and waterfalls and see wild animals and several other tree root bridges. One of them is called Umunoi, which is considered the oldest living bridge in the region.
This is perhaps the coolest thing you've ever seen.
Picture: Courtesy of Adam Rosendahl
Although it is not easy, once the end point is reached, the trip is worth it. There you will see a double-layered bridge of tree roots surrounded by lush green trees and rushing waterfalls.
River flows through under the Double-layer Tree Root Bridge. Picture: SurabhiArtss/Shutterstock
The future of the tree root bridge
People gradually stop building tree root bridges.
Nowadays, people use modern tools and materials to build bridges in Meghalaya. Metals and wires have become an easy and fast alternative.
But others are still working to maintain the tradition of root bridge and start building another bridge over the double-layered root bridge, which is expected to be completed within ten years.
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