NEELAKURINJI

The legendary Neelakurinji blooms!
(August-October 2018)
Yes folks. You heard that right! The long wait is now over! The hills of Munnar will soon be bathed in a dreamy shade of blue. The Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) blooms only once in every 12 years and it sure is a sight to behold!
Here, with pleasure, Kerala Tourism offers you in-depth insights into the ‘Neelakurinji
Phenomenon’ through photographs of the blooming in 1982 and 1994, video clips of
the Kurinji and other nearby attractions, the best routes to reach the flowering site at
Rajamala, travel writers who share their experiences of having witnessed the flowering in the previous years and also scholarly articles on preserving the endangered Kurinji as well.

Every twelve years, the hills of Munnar in Kerala burst into a sea of blue, a rare natural spectacle for which travellers 

make a beeline for. An endless stretch of rolling hills carpeted with tiny blue flowers welcomes the visitors. It is the time 

Neelakurinji, a flower with 40 odd varieties, blossoms in all its grandeur.

The long wait of twelve years is finally over. The hills will soon be bathed in a dreamy shade of blue from August 2018 to 

October 2018. Are you ready?

Botanists call it the blooming of ‘Strobilanthes kunthianus’, 

the botanical name of Neelakurinji. Neela in local parlance translates to the colour blue and Kurinji is the local name for the flower.

This stellar phenomenon can be witnessed between the months of August 2018 and October 2018 when the flower 

blooms in all its glory unleashing a visual extravaganza. In fact, there is no better time to visit Munnar than when the 

Neelakurinji blooms en masse.

The Nilgiri Tahr, the endangered mountain goat, is endemic to these hills. The majestic mountain goat ambling down the 

hills that are swathed in Neelakurinji makes for an extremely enigmatic sight.

Flooded with travel requests, many tour operators have opened their bookings well in advance. A host of packages 

are now available for travellers. Moreover, tour planners and adventure clubs organise trekking in these hills when the 

Neelakurinji blooms. This unique lifecycle of the plant makes the hills a must-visit destination for biologists and nature 

enthusiasts alike.

Why Neelakurinji flowers 

only once in 12 years?

Among plants, there are annuals and perennials. Annual plants complete their life cycle in one year. They grow 

from the seed, bloom, produce seeds and die in one growing season. Perennials live for more than two years and usually 

flower every year and set seeds.

Some perennials flower only once in their lifetime, set seeds and die. The next generation of the plants are established 

from these seeds and the cycle is repeated. Such plants are known as monocarpic, opposed to polycarpic plants 

that flower and set seeds many times during its lifetime. Monocarpic plants flower only after attaining maturity. The 

time taken by different species may differ in this respect.Bamboos are monocarpic plants taking more than 40 years 

to mature and flower. Another characteristic shown by such plants is that these will flower gregariously in a single season. This happens in the case of bamboos and Kurinjis. The term 

‘plietesials’ is used to refer to such plants. The time taken to mature varies in different species of Kurinjis. So different 

species of Kurinjis have different intervals of flowering. Neelakurinji matures in 12 years time and flowers gregariously 

every 12 years.

Visitors Guidelines

Do not pluck the flowers or plant. They are an endangered endemic species and an integral part of the ecosystem. Any 

harm to even a single plant will impact the entire region at large.

Please understand that the plants will grow only above an altitude of 1500 meters and plucking them in hopes of growing 

them at home will be in vain.

The Kurinji plants are fire resistant and act as a natural protector to the grasslands from forest fires and also check 

soil erosion so please refrain from harming the plant.If harmed the Kurinji will cease to exist not only denying future generations the sacred experience of witnessing its 

flowering but also irreparably damage the delicate balance of the environment.

The Neelakurinji flowering area is a STRICTLY NO PLASTIC 

ZONE. Please cooperate.

Do not forget, our Earth is our responsibility.