Year 2018 is the year of the Neelakurinji. When something occurs once in 12 years, it takes special status. Be it the Kumbha Mela or the Neelakurinji, it is bound to be a rare event. I saw this rare flower last month for the first time in my life and boy was I left speechless. To see vast stretches of mountain in stunning blue is nothing short of surreal. And when you stand on top of such a blue Neelakurinji mountain admiring the panorama, it is quite a heady experience.
About Photo: There are many species of Neelakurinji in the Western Ghats. The one that blooms every 12 years is ‘Strobilanthes kunthianus’. It is indeed blue in colour, but depending on ambient light and the play of light, it can look blue, indigo, violet, pink or even white to you.
There is still another 15 days to catch a glimpse of nature’s miracle event. For those of you who cannot see it in person, I hope these pictures do justice in bringing the beauty of the flowers and the surrounding nature to you. If you don’t know how to go about planning your Neelakurinji trip, look up my detailed guide with all answers to your questions and some handy tips based on my recent trip.
About Photo: This was a location where an entire mountain range was decked in blue. It was quite an unbelievable experience to even stand amidst the flowers.
About Photo: The Neelakurinji enjoys some of the best views in the Western Ghats. As it prefers to grow on steep slopes at altitudes between 1600m and 2000m, it more or less ends up looking at some of the best sunrises or sunsets and an almost always gorgeous view of the green mountains.
About Photo: Here, the Neelakurinji hill is overlooking Tamil Nadu. This hill where the flower is growing is in Tamil Nadu forest land, but the access is through Kerala.
About Photo: You see the bluish haze in the background. All of them are the Neelakurinji flowers.
About Photo: When you stand amidst a mass Neelakurinji bloom, you are constantly hearing a buzz. This is is the buzz of the bees who are working hard to produce the rare Neelakurinji honey, a once in a 12 year feast.
About Photo: Here is a close up of the flower after a brief spell of rain. Remember that I went right after the Kerala floods. The brown edges of the flowers are because of the rains.
About Photo: One of the famous landmarks of the Neelakurinji is the Eravikulam National Park near Munnar. Here you can see the endangered Nilgiri Tahr chomp on the Neelakurinji flowers.
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