Kurinji or Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) is a shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in South India. Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms only once in 12 years. Of all long interval bloomers (or plietesials) Strobilanthes kunthianus is the most rigorously demonstrated, with documented bloomings in 1838, 1850, 1862, 1874, 1886, 1898, 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, and 2006.  The species is known as ನೀಲಕುರಂಜಿ in Kannada, குறிஞ்சி in Tamil, and നീലകുറിഞ്ഞി in Malayalam.

Botanists call it the blooming of ‘Strobilanthes kunthianus’, the botanical name of Neelakurinji.  Neela in local parlance translates to the colour blue and Kurinji is the local name for the flower.

This stellar phenomenon can be witnessed between the months of July 2018 and October 2018 when the flower blooms in all its glory unleashing a visual extravaganza. In fact, there is no better time to visit Munnar than when the Neelakurinji blooms en masse.