The Hindu Business Line : Munnar's mauve carpet

Blue bloom: Tourists take in the beauteous sight of the Kurinji blossoms at Idukki's Eravikulam National Park, which is also home to the Nilgiri Tahr. -- Pictures by K.K. Mustafah

Poets have been inspired by the mystery, scientists have been baffled by its 12-year cycle and people gape at it in wonder. Come to Munnar, Kerala's most popular hill-station with its swirling wisps of mist and aromatic tea gardens, and one is greeted by vast stretches of petite mauve flowers woven together into a gorgeous carpet.

This is the spectacular blooming of the much-famed Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana), a plant associated with the shola (grassland) ecosystem and a unique botanical feature of the south western ghats. Approximately 46 species of the "strobilanthes" genus is found across the country and this particular species usually blooms in high altitudes (between 1,600 metres and 2,695 metres) of the Western Ghats every 12 years.

Last seen in 1994, this year again whole hillsides of native grasslands are awash with these flowers.

Kurinji has bloomed in the Rajamalai Hills in the Eravikulam National Park. The park is also home to 700-odd Nilgiri Tahrs, an endangered species of ungulates.

The Kurinjimala Sanctuary, announced by the Kerala Forest Minister during the three-day Kurinji Festival in Munnar recently, will be the only such sanctuary in India — devoted entirely to a single flower.

Neelakurinji has also bloomed in the Mukkurthy peak in the Mukkurthy National Park (Uthagamandalam in Tamil Nadu) and large areas on the way to Kodaikanal, Palani hills, Anamalai and the High Range block of mountains to the south of the Palakkad gap.

Scientists believe that the flowering pattern is part of a survival mechanism to escape destruction by seed/flower predators.

The flower has created a niche for itself in local legends and folklores. The Muthuvan tribes in Munnar know that high-quality honey, much sought after by connoisseurs, is usually found in the forest a few months after the Kurinji bloom. Certain tribal communities in Western Ghats believe the flowering of the plant brings bad luck. Some tribes also refer to it as Lord Muruga's flower.

With no special medicinal properties attributed to the plant or the flower, and no mesmerising fragrance or charm, this flower has nevertheless been immortalised in prose and verse. Entire tracts of the valley come alive when the Kurinji blooms and one cannot but help marvel at this floral spectacle.

Since the flower started blooming three months ago, thousands of tourists have visited Munnar to enjoy the sight. Every day 3,000-4,000 visitors trek up the Rajamala Hills in the Eravikulam National Park.

The park authorities have made elaborate arrangements for visitors. Watching hordes of the endangered Nilgiri Tahrs amidst the mauve carpet of the endangered Neelakurinji is a visual treat.