Meghalaya's double-decker root bridge is found in Cherrapunjee (Sohra). Located around 60 km from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, Cherrapunjee is a must visit destination known for its numerous waterfalls and a trek to the double-decker root bridge. The trek from Cherrapunjee to the living root bridge is not for the faint-hearted but definitely worth the effort!!
The southern Khasi and Jaintia hills are humid and warm, crisscrossed by swift-flowing rivers and mountain streams. On the slopes of these hills, a species of Indian rubber tree with an incredibly strong root system thrives and flourishes.
The Ficus elastica 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. The War-Khasis, a tribe in Meghalaya, long ago noticed this tree and saw in its powerful roots an opportunity to easily cross the area's many rivers. Now, whenever and wherever the need arises, they simply grow their bridges.
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. Given enough time, a sturdy, living bridge is produced.
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 50 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 Cherrapunji may be well over 500 years old.
One special root bridge, believed to be the only one of its kind in the world, is actually two bridges stacked one over the other and has come to be known as the "Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge."
Local dedication to the bridges has kept them from being destroyed in favor of steel ones. What's more, a new root bridge at the double-decker site is currently being grown and should be ready for use within a decade.
Nongriat is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya State, in north-eastern India. It is perhaps best known for its two living root bridges; one an impressive double-decker suspension bridge called Jingkieng Nongriat. These are crafted by hand, as the Khasi people have done in the Khasi Hills for centuries, intertwining and weaving together the aerial roots of banyan trees on opposite sides of a stream-filled gorge. Jingkieng Nongriat, better known simply as Double Decker, Near Nongriat, and best viewed from the neighboring village of Laitkynsew during the autumn monsoon season as a magnificent cascade, is the waterfall of Ka Likai. A succession of stone steps connect the community with neighboring village of Tyrna, just below the Cherrapunji-Laitkynsew bridle-path: From Wikipedia
3 Hrs long Trek to The Double Decker Root Bridge in Meghalaya. It's the Living Root Bridge in Meghalaya which is a must visit. Watch the video to get the best live visuals from the ground.
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