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Neelakurinji blooms

       Munnar: Neelakurinji flowers bloom once in 12 years in Munnar in Kerala and it is currently on time round. Thousands of tourists are flocking to Munnar to have a glimpse. It's a festival time for the environmentalists as well as the common people in the area. The environmentalists have become active to preserve the shola grassland ecosystem in the Western Ghats.

      Neelakurinji is a little mauve flower. An individual flower is not at attractive nor does it have fragrance. But the massive flowering is really a feast to the eyes. Neelakurinji - botanical name strobilanthes kunthiana - species blooms at an altitude between 1,600 and 2,695 metres in the Ghats. Nilgiris, meaning Blue Mountains, itself came from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji. The plant belongs to the family of Acanthaceae. The genus has 300 species. There are other Kurinji plants also. Its flowering cycles ranges from one to 16 years.

      The mass flowering of Neelakurinji started in the month of August. The shola grasslands of Nilgiris, Palani and Munnar resemble a carpet across the valley. The plants are of 30 to 60 cms height. Some of them are growing upto 180 cm also. The first flowering this year was early this year from Kodaikanal area of Tamil Nadu. Then the blooming was reported from Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, Eravikulam National Park of Munnar, Kerala. The blossoms are more scattered this year than the previous time in 1994. In the beginning, intensive rain caused some problems for the visitors in Eravikulam area. Neelakurinji is found this time at Klavarai area in Tamil Nadu and Koviloor in Kerala also.

      The 12-year cycle of flowering was first recorded in 1838. Thereafter many scientists have studied this phenomenon. The reason for this 12-year flowering cycle is yet to be established. The name Strobilanthes kunthiana was given by a team of German scientists. The name Kunthiana came from the name of Kunth, a scientist in the German team. It has relation with the name of river Kunthi also.

      Neelakurinji is found in many places around Munnar. Eravikulam National Park area is the most famous for its flowering. This National Park is a sanctuary for the endangered Nilgiri tahr. Around 4000 tourists visit this park every day in this season. The flowering will end in the month of November and its seeds will mature 10 months after flowering, and the plant will die.

      There are many myths and legends too. The Muduvar tribemen in the area calculate their age in relation to the blossoming of Neelakurinji. All efforts are being made to protect the plant's habitats which were sought to be converted into plantations in the past. The Government has decided to set up a Kurinji Sanctuary in the Eravikulam. The Postal Department has released a special stamp on Kurinji this year.
-Nov 1,  2006

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