India GO
Neelakurinji in Munnar
Strobilanthes kunthiana
Munnar has two separate Neelakurinji populations on offset cycles, a detail most guides get wrong. The Eravikulam National Park population last bloomed in 2018 and is next due in 2030. A different population on Chokramudi, Korandakkad near Mattupetty and the Meesapulimala slopes bloomed in 1990, 2002 and 2014 and is flowering in 2026 (from late August at Chokramudi, expected to hold through September into October), so in 2026 the kurinji is out, but not inside Eravikulam.
Where to see it
Meesapulimala · in season
Part of the population blooming in 2026; upper slopes flower later in the season
Mattupetty Dam · in season
The Korandakkad slopes above the dam are on plantation land and need permission from the estate company
Eravikulam National Park · in season
This population's next mass bloom is 2030, not 2026
How to recognise it
Blue-violet tubular flowers carried in dense heads on knee-to-chest-high bushes between 1,340 and 2,600 m. Out of a bloom year the plant is a plain green shrub and easy to walk past.