The Root Bridges of Cherrapungee

In one hilly area in the rainforest of northeastern India, they build bridges out of living trees. Specifically the roots.

The root bridges, some of which are over a hundred feet long, take ten to fifteen years to become fully functional, but they’re extraordinarily strong — strong enough that some of them can support the weight of fifty or more people at a time. In fact, because they are alive and still growing, the bridges actually gain strength over time — and some of the ancient root bridges used daily by the people of the villages around Cherrapunjee may be well over five hundred years old.

• architecture
• India