Kurinji Trip

The Kurinji, or Neelakurinji is the flower of a shrub that grows across the Western Ghats. The binomial name is Strobilanthes kunthiana, and this particular shrub grows all over the range. The flower itself is a non-descript purplish blue thing, and rather small. But what makes this flower unusual is that it blooms only once in every 12 years. Given the way the shrub has proliferated across the hill range, when the flower blooms, the whole range takes on a purplish blue hue, giving credence to the “Nilgiri” name.

Well, 2006 is the year this flower blooms. We made a quick trip over a long weekend, and threw in a quick wildlife sighting stop at the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary along the way. This stop was in the absolute wilderness. A small tribal hut repurposed into a guest house, by adding a few chairs and matresses. The hut itself was built atop a hill, which gave us a full view of the entire forest below. Several sightings ensued, including bison, elephants, and several birds.

The next morning, we headed to Munnar, and again, into a small guest house deep inside the forest. Much better equipped, this guest house was on a cliff face and had comfortable beds and clean bathrooms. The highlight, of course, was the walk to the nearby hills which were covered in Kurinji blooms.

A short and memorable trip.