It’s Neelakurinji Season In Western Ghats. Stunning View In Karnataka’s Chikmagalur

Neela means blue and Kurinji is the name of the flower, 46 varieties of which can be seen in India. The scientific name of Neelakurinji is Strobilanthes kunthiana.

Neelakurinji season in Mullayanagiri in Karnataka’s Chikmagalur.

Source : shivu_gouda45

The Neelakurinji season is back in the Western Ghats. The purplish-blue flowers that bloom only once every 12 years have covered the hills in parts of Karnataka this year. The site offers a visual feast and is drawing tourists in large numbers. Neela means blue and Kurinji is the name of the flower, 46 varieties of which can be seen in India. Strobilanthes kunthiana is its scientific name.

Taking to Twitter, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare Shobha Karandlaje posted a video of the Neelakurinji bloom in Mullayanagiri in Karnataka’s Chikmagalur. 

The 30-second video clip originally shared by Instagram user @shashi_aldur captures a stunning view of a hill completely doused in purple-blue.

Exhorting people to visit Chikmagalur for “a spellbinding experience”, she wrote: “Neelakurinji, an exceptional variety of flowers, are native to the Western Ghats and blossom once every 12 years. The imposing terrains of Mullayanagiri in Chikmagalur have turned into a habitat for the purplish blue flowers.

Neelakurinji, an exceptional variety of flowers, are native to the Western Ghats and blossom once every 12 years.

The imposing terrains of Mullayanagiri in Chikmagalur have turned into a habitat for the purplish blue flowers.#VisitChikkamagaluru for a spellbinding experience. pic.twitter.com/N2e7PQdBPT

— Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) September 27, 2022

Several other users also posted images and videos of this year’s Neelakurinji bloom as tourists are already flocking to soak in the sight.

NeelaKurinji in full bloom after 12 years in Mullayanagiri peak, Chikmagalur

Kurinji is a shrub found in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills, which means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji pic.twitter.com/9tCA5NeM7X

— Dr Durgaprasad Hegde (@DpHegde) September 23, 2022

NeelaKurinji blooming..
Gaalikere, Chikkamagaluru. pic.twitter.com/prI9MzU604

— Akash R Patil (@ImAkashPatil) September 25, 2022

Strobilanthis Sessilis, known as Gurgi (ಗುರ್ಗಿ) in Kannada (Neelakurinji, in Tamil), is endemic to Western ghats, India. It has bloomed in Chandradrona mountains in Chikkamagaluru after 16 years. The flowers blanket the mountains, gifting everybody a soothing visual treat. pic.twitter.com/cZ82XgzU3C

— ಲಿಖಿತ್ (@likhith_np) September 25, 2022

ಚಿಕ್ಕಮಗಳೂರಿನ ಮುಳ್ಳಯ್ಯನಗಿರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ 12 ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಗೊಮ್ಮೆ ಅರಳುವ ನೀಲಕುರಂಜಿ (ನೀಲಕುರಿಂಜಿ) ಹೂವುಗಳು ತನ್ನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯದಿಂದ ಬೆಟ್ಟವನ್ನು ಆವರಿಸಿರುವುದು ವಿಶೇಷವಾದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಈ ಸುಂದರ ನೈಸರ್ಗಿಕ ವಿಸ್ಮಯವನ್ನು ಕಣ್ಣು ತುಂಬಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಮೂಲೆ ಮೂಲೆಯಿಂದ ಪ್ರವಾಸಿಗರು ಉತ್ಸುಕರಾಗಿ ಮುಳ್ಳಯ್ಯನಗಿರಿಗೆ ಪ್ರವಾಸ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. pic.twitter.com/5a8ftFMqIR

— Karnataka Tourism (@KarnatakaWorld) September 25, 2022

While the flower blooms across the Western Ghats covering Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, Kerala’s Munnar is said to have the largest concentration of Neelakurinjis. The last blooming season in Munnar was in 2018, after 2006. 

In 2019, the Neelakurinjis were seen on Bababudangiri hills in Chikmagalur, while the year 2021 saw the hills of Mandalpatti and Kote Betta in Karnataka’s Kodagu or Coorg district turning purplish-blue.

Experts say the plant has medicinal value too.