Meghalaya Living Root Bridges, locally known as Jingkieng Jri, are now officially in the race for UNESCO World Heritage status after India submitted the nomination dossier to UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre in Paris in January 2026 for evaluation in the 2026–27 cycle.
The nomination marks a major milestone for the globally admired bio-engineered bridges, which represent centuries-old indigenous knowledge and sustainable design practices rooted in the cultural traditions of Meghalaya.
The Nomination Dossier
India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Vishal V. Sharma, formally submitted the nomination dossier to the Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, Lazare Assomo Eloundou, on January 29, 2026.
The nominated property, titled “Jingkieng Jri: Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes of Meghalaya,” spans the southern slopes of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and includes living root bridge sites across more than 72 named villages.
The submission received support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, the Archaeological Survey of India, and local communities who have preserved the Meghalaya Living Root Bridges for generations.
A Journey Decades in the Making
The UNESCO nomination follows years of sustained efforts. Meghalaya’s Chief Minister first proposed UNESCO recognition on January 21, 2022, during the state’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The bridges were subsequently added to UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List on March 17, 2022.
The Meghalaya Living Root Bridges were nominated under three UNESCO criteria. Criterion (i) recognises them as a masterpiece of human creative genius, showcasing the exceptional bio-engineering skills of the Khasi people. Criterion (iii) highlights their role as an enduring cultural tradition sustained across generations. Criterion (vi) acknowledges their deep connection to Khasi belief systems, particularly the Mei Ramew philosophy that emphasises harmony between humans and nature.
What Makes Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridges Extraordinary
The Meghalaya Living Root Bridges are grown rather than constructed. Khasi and Jaintia communities guide the aerial roots of the Indian Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica) across rivers using hollowed areca palm trunks as scaffolding. The process typically takes 10 to 15 years before a bridge becomes functional, but the resulting structures can last for centuries.
Unlike conventional bridges made from steel or concrete, these living structures are carbon-sequestering, self-repairing, and grow stronger over time. They serve as essential connectivity routes for more than 75 remote villages in one of the world’s wettest regions, replacing wooden bridges that would otherwise decay during intense monsoon seasons.
According to Khasi tradition, only an elder without children may plant the Ficus sapling for a new bridge, an act regarded as a profound offering to nature and a spiritual connection with Mei Ramew, or Mother Earth. The practice integrates traditional farming, forest conservation, community governance through the village dorbor system, and spiritual beliefs into a single living structure.
Why UNESCO Inscription Matters
Frederick Roy Kharkongor, Principal Secretary of Meghalaya’s Art and Culture Department, stated that the Meghalaya Living Root Bridges meet UNESCO’s Outstanding Universal Value criteria for both cultural and natural heritage, representing a model of community-led bio-stewardship.
If granted UNESCO World Heritage status, the bridges would join India’s expanding list of globally recognised heritage sites and could serve as a model for regenerative and nature-based architecture, particularly as global demand grows for climate-resilient infrastructure.
The nomination also draws comparisons with other recognised indigenous engineering traditions, including the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Peru’s Q’eswachaka grass-rope bridge. However, the Jingkieng Jri tradition remains unique as the only known practice of growing living plants into permanent, multi-generational load-bearing structures.
