The living bridges of India

The Indian state of Meghalaya experiences some of the highest levels of rainfall on earth. The indigenous Khasi and Jaintia tribes created the living bridges by weaving the roots of the Indian rubber (Ficus elastica) tree into suspension bridges over rivers. These sturdy bridges span between 15 and 250 feet and could take as long as 10 to 15 years to gain the perfect shape. Once fully grown, these roots last for as long as 500 years. While some of the roots decay, others grow and make up for the decayed providing the required stability to the bridge.

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