Neelkurinji flowers in full bloom after 12 yrs, tourists flock to Chikkamaguluru

Photos of these purple-coloured flowers have also flooded social media, turning the lush green western ghats into purplish.

Karnataka’s Chikkamaguluru has been witnessing a massive crowd as tourists thronged to have a glimpse of Neelkurinji flowers, which bloom once in 12 years. Photos of these purple-coloured flowers have also flooded social media, turning the lush green western ghats into purplish.

Chikmagalur: Visitors click photographs in a hill adorned by the Neelakurinji flowers, which bloom once in 12 years, at Chandra Dhrona Hill Ranges in Chikmagalur district, (PTI Photo)(PTI09_17_2022_000123A) (PTI)

BJP minister Shoba Karandlaje took to social media and shared a video on the flowers and asked tourists to visit Chikkamaguluru. “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. Visit Chikkamagaluru for a spellbinding experience. (Sic)”

Many photographers and Instagram influencers have also reached Chikkamaguluru to document the rare blooming. A doctor, named Durgaprasad Hegde, shared a breath-taking video of a hill, covered with the Neelkurinji flowers. He wrote, “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”

The flowers can only be seen in the Western Ghats and can also be found in areas like Ooty in Tamil Nadu and Munnar in Kerala. “In India, they are primarily found in South India. It is mainly found in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, including Ooty and Munnar,” he wrote.