Rare Neelakurinji flowers bloom in Karnataka's Kodagu

Locally known as Kurinji, visitors are coming to Kodagu to see the flowers for the past one week. Each species of the flower blooms at different intervals like once in every five, seven, 12 or 14 years.

Kodagu (Karnataka): The mass blooming of Neelakurinji in Coorg has made it a rallying point for wildlife enthusiasts, botanists, photographers and tourists.

The Neelakurinji flower, which blooms only once every 12 years, is attracting a huge number of tourists to Mandalpatti and Kote Betta. Tourists are heading to Kodagu district to witness the rare phenomenon.

Locally known as Kurinji, visitors are coming to Kodagu to see the flowers for the past one week. Each species of the flower blooms at different intervals like once in every five, seven, 12 or 14 years.

Neelakurinji is a shrub that is found in the Shola forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Kurinji grows at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 metres. The plant is usually 30 to 60 cm high. Other Kurinji species, such as Strobilanthes Cuspidatus, bloom once every seven years and then die.