Shillong: The famous Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya have been included in the tentative list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.
Found in over 70 villages in Meghalaya, the living root bridges highlight the socio-cultural, social, and botanical links between people and nature.
Sharing the news, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on his Twitter account wrote, “Delighted to share that ‘Jingkieng Jri: Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes of Meghalaya’ has been included in the @UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list. “I congratulate all community members and stakeholders in this ongoing journey.”
Delighted to share that “Jingkieng Jri: Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes of Meghalaya” has been included in the @UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list. I congratulate all community members and stakeholders in this ongoing journey.@PMOIndia
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) March 28, 2022
Villagers grow the living root bridges by training the ‘ficus elastica’ tree on both sides of water bodies over a period of about 10 to 15 years where the roots form the bridge.
At present, there are about 100 known living root bridges spread across 72 villages in the state.