Living Root Bridges (Jingkieng Jri)

The living root bridges (Jingkieng Jri in Khasi) are the most remarkable thing about Cherrapunji. The Khasi people have developed a technique of training the aerial roots of rubber fig trees (Ficus elastica) across rivers and gorges, weaving them through bamboo scaffolding and over hollow betel nut trunks until the roots take hold on the far bank and grow into a self-supporting structure. A mature bridge can be over thirty metres long and strong enough to carry dozens of people.

The most celebrated example is the double-decker bridge near Nongriat village, about 3,500 steps below the plateau. The descent takes around 45 minutes; the return is harder. Nongriat village has guesthouses if you want to stay at the bottom and avoid the climb twice in one day. There are several other root bridges in the valleys below Cherrapunji, ranging from a few minutes' walk to a full day's trek.

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The Khasi people have been training rubber fig roots across rivers for at least 500 years, and possibly much longer. The process requires generations of patience: you begin the bridge for your grandchildren, not yourself. The double-decker bridge at Nongriat has two levels that were grown independently, decades apart, and is strong enough to carry fifty people at once despite being made entirely of living plant matter.

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