Lost Cloud https://journals.worldnomads.com/arindam/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:26 GMT World Nomads Adventures Living Root Bridges, excellent examples of bio-engineering innovation are exclusive to Meghalaya, a remote Indian state. As the name suggest, these functional bridges across streams and rivers are live and consist of tree roots only. The lower reaches of the southern slopes of Khasi and Jaintia hills in this region receive an enormous amount of rainfall – on an average 12000 mm annually. The region is humid, warm and is streaked by many swift flowing rivers and mountain streams. This makes moving across the canyons an uphill task for the hill dwellers. Steel or concrete bridges in such remote areas are impossible to think of even today. Also, termites and white ants would eat a wooden bridge away in no time. Centuries ago the local Khasi tribe came up with an innovative solution to their needs. The roots of Indian Rubber, Ficus Elastica are guided across the streams through hollow areca nut trunks and are then allowed to naturally intertwine with other roots and there comes up a bridge after several years! It can last as long as 200 years, can carry load of as many as 50 people on it and cannot be damaged by insects. Some of these bridges are as much as 100 feet long. Further innovation by the local people has also led to creation of double decker bridges that have two-tier structure. Living Root Bridge is a real wonder with immense utility value and can still be found around Laitkynsew village in Cherrapunjee area of Meghalaya – however, you need to trek through hill tracks to reach one. I am an amateur photographer and off-beat traveller. I have travelled and trekked the wide expanse of the Himalayas over the years. I live in Chennai, India. I visited Laitkynsew village and Living Root Bridge at Siet in October 2011. https://journals.worldnomads.com/arindam/photos/32296/India/My-Photo-scholarship-2011-entry Travel India arindam https://journals.worldnomads.com/arindam/photos/32296/India/My-Photo-scholarship-2011-entry#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/arindam/photos/32296/India/My-Photo-scholarship-2011-entry Tue, 8 Nov 2011 14:16:00 GMT 0 Ladakh is an intriguing and remote place in North India that has maintained its unique identity over centuries. Rich with Tibetan Buddhist culture Ladakh is a cold desert that is sparsely populated by people for whom Buddhism play a very important role. The area has many monasteries (gompas) with histories going beyond several hundred years. The pictures here tell a simple story of a few Ladakhis whose life revolve around the monasteries (gompas) and religion. The Hemis Monastery which is known to have existed since 11th century holds the distinction of being the biggest as well as the wealthiest monastery of Ladakh. The custodians of the monastery, the monks are withdrawn from the maddening civilization, engaged in ritualistic life and probably close to their Lord than the others. Another monastery, Thiksey has many young monks undergoing training and they are not so separated from the worldly feelings - even a tasty simple meal brings smile and joy in the faces. The 14m tall Maitreya Buddha statue at Thiksey embodies complete enlightenment: the eyes, the gesture, the complete environment inside the hall are definitely the source of spiritual inspiration for the Ladakhis. Back at Leh the market place is abuzz with materialistic pursuits - refugees from Tibet wow the curious travelers with semi-precious stones and religious artifacts. About myself: Arindam Das is a professional working in the Information Technology industry in India. He actively pursues amateur photography and non-fiction writing in his free time. He has traveled widely in India and a few countries outside India. He always finds an interesting story to tell about the people, place and their history on his return from a trip. https://journals.worldnomads.com/arindam/photos/23508/India/My-Photo-scholarship-2010-entry Travel India arindam https://journals.worldnomads.com/arindam/photos/23508/India/My-Photo-scholarship-2010-entry#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/arindam/photos/23508/India/My-Photo-scholarship-2010-entry Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:01:00 GMT 0