Neelakurinji, also known as Strobilanthus shrub has flowered this year. The name Neelakurinji has been derived from two malayalam words, Neela which means "Blue" and Kurinji which is the local name of the flower.The spectacular mass flowering of the shrub neelakurunji (Strobilanthus kunthianum) takes place in these Shola grasslands in cycles of the 12 years. Neelakurinji would be visible in the Shola grass lands of Eravikulam, hills between Klavarai in Tamil Nadu and Vattavada, near Munnar in Kerala during the season.
Growing abundantly in the 
shola grasslands of the Western Ghats above 1800 metres, they used to cover the mountain slopes like a blue carpet once in 12 years. The Nilgiri mountain ranges in the Western Ghats visited by tourists all over the world, got its name from its purplish blue flowers that bloomed abundantly all over the shola grasslands.
We (my friend Jay Shah & myself) were lucky enough to spot the first few blooms of these beautiful flowers in this season at the Eravikulam National Park in Kerala. The carpeting of these flowers throughout the shola grasslands will happen in the month of August.
Neelakurinji carpeting the KannanDevan Hills (Eravikulam), Kerala
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