The Mizoram bamboo church: a 100-year-old sanctuary built without a single nail

The church at Serchhip, built in 1926 from interlocked bamboo without a single nail, has outlived every building erected beside it — and still holds Sunday services.

The structure’s genius is in its joinery: the bamboo is mortised and wedged, flexing with the monsoon instead of fighting it.

The church is now on the tourism itinerary, and master builders are teaching the technique to a new generation.