The double-decker (Umshiang) living root bridge in Northeast India

The living bridges of Cherrapunjee are made from the roots of the Indian rubber tree (Ficus Elastica). This tree produces a series of secondary roots from higher up its trunk and can comfortably perch atop huge boulders along the riverbanks, or even in the middle of the rivers themselves.

 

In order to make a rubber tree’s roots grow in the right direction - say, over a river - the Khasis use betel nut trunks, sliced down the middle and hollowed out, to create root-guidance systems.

 

The thin, tender roots of the rubber tree, prevented from fanning out by the betel nut trunks, grow straight out. When they reach the other side of the river, they’re allowed to take root in the soil.

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