Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Living Root Bridges In India

After countless hours of lurking the internet I have found some interesting pictures of living root bridges in India.  In the depths of northeastern India, in one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren’t built – they’re grown. 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 fifty or more people at a time.


























41 comments:

Alette said...

Interesting photos :)

Ray Czar said...

ah i swear if i had money to travel, photography would be so much easier!

Politically Challenged. said...

THAT'S SO COOL.

Like, seriously, Mind is blown. XD

Kaz said...

seriously cool man

gimmethagold said...

Shit is scary!

sforest said...

That is a crazy way to build a bridge but very genius as well. Gotta work with what you've got.

boss said...

i wonder if theres a troll under that bridge ! aha

Mikoten said...

Wow, these are some really awesome pictures, very beautiful.

Anonymous said...

I like the last picture the best =)

Whitewolf Starr said...

makes me want to visit india

rusticstrawberry said...

Dude those are the coolest pictures I have ever seen.

Bruno said...

Man I would love to see those places in the day light but I would never fucking go across one of those things alone in the dark it looks like the gate to hell...

JeevesTheHitman said...

That is truly amazing. A living bridge. Wow.

The Reviever said...

Gasp... Nature is so beautiful... I wish I could see that live.

Sweeeeeetas said...

Got forwarded this in an email once....Mother nature is amazing!!

Host said...

That's beautiful, I wish I could go there.

SaltyThePirate said...

those are insane dude, wish i could see them in person. definitely following this blog

Rubix said...

thats insane! come follow me:

http://spinoftheworld.blogspot.com/

Jimmy Volmer said...

that makes me want to see them

Nerd Life said...

I like this blog. I'll check back tomorrow for a new update :)

WhebSurf said...

coolest bridge ever!!!

RAiNИiAЯ said...

Wow, so creepy and awesome all at the same time!

Thallid said...

Givin some love ;) those bridges are nuts!

Discerning Gentleman said...

wow, I enjoyed reading this!

Sandwich said...

holy crap that is rediculous haha root bridges

Solovino said...

wow, very amazing! Id love to travel to india and see this with my own eyes!

Solovino said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MaryMolii said...

Fucking awesome man! That is actually so amazing, looking at all the intricate roots that combine to make something functional and amazing

Alan said...

Those are some amazing... structures? haha seriously amazing tho.

Stav88os said...

Cool Story Bro!;)

GreatHillBand said...

oh god, i would love to be there

daniel. said...

theyre crazy.

Max Steel said...

Those are awesome nice pics man

Donkote said...

wow this is pretty amazing. I think i'd still be too scared to go across on one of those though

Olly said...

Wow thats cool! Love the pictures.

Graviteh said...

I remember seeing these things but some guys used molds to craft chairs out of trees. Needless to say, this is all cool. But this is really hardcore. Did they grow all the way across like that and then get shaped out, or were roots just stretched over by hand?

cancerbeaverz said...

That's crazy, but pretty damn interesting haha!

Mark said...

Wow, I could fathom 10-15 foot bridges but 50-100 feet! That's insane!

Davis Inzen said...

That.. it so freaking COOL.

I want one now!

tonyman33 said...

i would be creeped out just walking across it

Moggets said...

returning that daily love mai friend! these root bridges are spectaular i'm amazed at how much effort would be put into it.