The Sustainable Living Bridges of Meghalaya (or, Bridge from the Village Ruwai)

Living Bridge, Ruwai, Meghalaya

Today, I went to the living bridge in Ruwai, near Mawlynnong, in Meghalaya.  This is perhaps one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my entire life.  I do not exaggerate on this.  Due to one of the highest annual rainfalls in the world, the floods each rainy season here can be catastrophic.  Bridges are not the only things that cannot withstand the floods, but here, the people have found a long-lasting sustainable way to cross the rivers in the valleys from village to village.   Over the course of a century or so, a banyan tree is coaxed to grow directly across a river, putting its roots deep into each bank.  The tree trunk becomes a bridge which can survive for 500 years.  The tree continues to grow roots into the banks of the river and the people tend the living bridge, helping it to stay strong.  It is a spectacular and amazing thing to see.

We woke early on our first morning in Mawlynnong.  We were staying at a resort in the village called the Skyview Resort.  It boasts of a bamboo treehouse-like structure, many stories in the sky.  From there, you can see far across the plains of Bangladesh, as we’re only a few kilometers from the boarder.  We went to the top of the bamboo structure – which is lashed together by strips of palm tree, I believe, and must be remade entirely every couple of years due to rain damage and tree growth changing the requirements for size and structure – just before dawn because we wanted to see the sunrise over Bangladesh.

View from Bamboo Structure at Skyview in Mawlynnong, Meghalaya, India

There had been a small rainstorm at sundown the night before and morning broke slowly, fresh.  There is often a haze over everything, obscuring even the nearest mountains from view.  The far plains and the sun are hidden behind mists of clouds.  Meghalaya actually means “place of the clouds” in a local language, I believe.  But this morning the haze was light enough that we were able to see the plains after the burning red sun burst forth through the treetops. It was gorgeous.

Mr. Rishot at the Dining Bungalow

We went down from the treehouse to have breakfast in the bamboo building where Mr. Rishat and the two boys who worked at Skyview cooked and served our meals (which were delicious).   Northeastern tea is served without milk, and sweet.  The flavours are delicious and subtle.  (Sadly, no daab grows in this region of India.)

We set off after breakfast from a trail behind our bungalow which Mr. Rishot told us would lead to the root bridge in the area.  It is actually in the village of Ruwai.  We had gone for a hike the night before and so knew some of the area, but hadn’t gone to the bridge yet.  After walking in the rainforest for some time, meeting a cool old guy on a bridge, watering Alec’s beard garden, and seeing all sorts of fascinating plants and animals, including a pineapple grove and an ant trail half a kilometer long, we arrived in a little village, where we found signs directing us towards the bridge.

We were early, and as we had hoped were some of the first people to arrive.  Really, there were only locals around.  The water levels are all low because this is the dry season.  It’s perfect for us because we were able to both go under the bridge and look at the construction, and then hike up the river a ways, bouldering a bit, which we all like to do.  The day was gorgeous, and other than the people doing their laundry here and there along the stream and the occasional fisherman, there were no other people for a few hours.

Jaya and Alec heading down towards the Root Bridge

We walked down a bunch of stairs to get to the actual bridge crossing, most of them were stone steps, some just rocks, some just part of the dirt path.  I imagine this area gets quite slippery when it rains.  When we came upon the bridge, it was breathtaking.  The morning light was shining through the trees, and the scene was pastoral and idyllic.  The bridge was rather large, and along the actual footpath part, some stones had been laid down upon some earth to form the path.  I assume this helps protect the tree.  The roots had been pulled into the shape of supports for the bridge until it looked like it had been designed by an architect.   And from below, there were roots reaching out greedily towards the water of the low river.  We went up the river a ways and then hung out where we could see the bridge.  Jayanthi and Alec wanted to walk some more, but I’ve been having difficulty with my balance and dizziness (in part, I think from a head injury I had a few years ago) and had already fallen once, so I hung out and watched the locals and eventually some tourists who came to see the bridge. I also talked to a few of the people who had come from the neighboring village, which is connected to Ruwai by this path, but I can’t spell or pronounce its name.  After a while, the others returned and we headed back to the village for some lunch, agreeing that it had already been one of the best days ever.