Love affair of two banyan trees: The Living Root bridge, Mawlynnong

Curious about where I have been to lately? Well!! I took a 3 hour journey to explore a love story of two Banyan trees which chose to stay by each other in good and in bad, in happiness and in sorrow. The love so strong that it gave us this magnificent Living Root bridge which has served as a means of communication for the villagers to cross over to each sides of the river. 

I cannot with certainty tell the age of this bridge, but it would be between 60-100 years.The bridge are tangles of massive thick roots, which have been intermingled to form a bridge that can hold up to the weight of fifty or more people at a time. The bridge is alive and still growing and gaining strength over time.

If you happen to have friends like mine obsessing about how much these landscape reminded them of The Shire and The Middle Earth  from Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit Trilogy one cannot ignore the green pasture on the way to this bridge.

Hang On!!  My friends don't get intimidated because I am talking about the famous UNESCO Heritage Living root Bridge situated at Mawlynnong Village in Meghalaya, India. Just a 3 hour drive from the capital city  Shillong, you will be enchanted by the unadulterated  natural beauty of the place. Not only does the village has this  gifted natural grown bridge, but the villagers are so dedicated and committed in keeping their whole village a clean place to live in that they were acknowledged as the "Cleanest village In Asia" in 2003 and the " Cleanest Village of India" in 2005 by India Discovery Magazine. Even their pathways are made from stones and rocks found within the village which makes it look better and greener.

The moment I set foot on this small, cozy village I felt so much at ease though the temperature was much higher than the normal temperature experienced in Shillong as this place is nearer to Bangladesh border. Visiting Mawlynnong at this time of the year(June-July) was a good decision as the water flow is maximum after heavy rain during the month of May. The laughter and joy of the local kids swimming filled the place with so much more joy that I couldn't helped but plunged my feet inside the water,it was so pure and clean that it could be drank without any filtration.

One of my favorite tropical fruit,Pineapple was available abundantly in the village  made things even better and sweeter for me. I got my tummy and carriage full of Pineapple (in case I feel hungry during the 3 hours journey back home :-) ).