Indigenous ingenuity: India’s living bridges inspire architects
Covered with thick subtropical forests and streaked with streams and rivers, the hilly state of Meghalaya in India’s northeastern corner is one of the wettest places on the planet. During the monsoon season, torrential rains turn docile rivers into raging waterways, and people rely on centuries-old bridges to access farms, schools, and markets.
But these aren’t typical overpasses made of wood or steel – the bridges are alive.
For hundreds of years, the Khasis of Meghalaya have manipulated the aerial roots of the rubber fig tree ( to build sturdy bridges, known in the Khasi language as . There are at least 150 such bridges in Meghalaya, according to Morningstar Khongthaw, who works to preserve and educate
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