In search of the Neelakurinji

It's twelve years since the Kurinji flowered last.

People have been venturing out to view hillsides a purple hue and I wanted to see this phenomena too.

So on Tuesday along with a school friend and hubby dearest, we set out to find the hillside bathed in Kurinji blooms.

The Strobilanthes kunthiana grows in rocky outcrops 

After much driving around and huffing and puffing up through a tea garden we finally found the Kurinji blooming high up on a hill in Kil Kotagiri.  

 The tea pluckers told us the blooms were in full bloom two weeks back and are now withering and drying up.

 It was a great day and worth the trek up the hill through the tea.We got to know later that there are bears in the area. Good we didn't encounter any.