The Hunt of Neelakurinji

Kerala. God's Own Country.

A place loved by many and visited by travellers from across India and around the world.

Located in the southern part of the Indian peninsula, Kerala is known for its rich biodiversity, forests, flora, fauna and beautiful landscapes.

The region has attracted travellers and traders for centuries, and its natural beauty continues to draw people towards its hills, forests, beaches and plantations.

But there is something less commonly known.

Somewhere in the valleys of the Western Ghats, a flower blooms at long intervals. Its name is Neelakurinji.

In 2018, the Neelakurinji bloomed again after a long gap.

It was also the year when Kerala was dealing with devastating floods.

We knew about the floods.

We also knew about the flower.

And somehow, the flower won.

Four engineers and an idea

It was a fine Thursday evening.

We were lying on the couch, floor, chair or whatever else was available in the hall.

It was a bachelor flat, after all.

We were doing what four software engineers do best when they have nothing productive to do: wasting time and searching for somewhere to escape to.

My friend Avijit suggested Munnar.

I immediately agreed because we had a chance to see the Neelakurinji.

We called Durga.

He nodded yes.

He called another friend.

And just like that, we were ready to explore Kerala.

We were aware of the flood situation, but we were also wise enough not to get carried away by the panic being created by television and social media.

At least, that is what we told ourselves.

No plan. Just Munnar.

We quickly gathered our belongings and, without making any real plan, started our journey towards Kerala.

We knew only one thing.

It was going to be memorable.

Around midnight, we headed towards Munnar.

Four software engineers always need an excuse to escape Bangalore.

Namma Bengaluru. We love Bengaluru.

But sometimes, you need to leave the city to appreciate it again.

We took the Kanakapura route because it was not the usual national highway route and there were wildlife sanctuaries along the way.

The shorter and easier route is Bangalore, Hosur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Salem before heading towards Munnar.

Avijit was driving initially.

He was full of energy and enthusiasm.

A couple of hours later, he started feeling sleepy.

I took charge of the steering wheel.

At that time, I had only five months of driving experience.

But I was good at everything.

At least, that was my opinion.

We still had a long way to go. As a responsible driver, I did not want to wake my fellow travellers.

So I maintained a maximum speed of around 30 kilometres per hour.

Do not laugh.

There was a road somewhere between the potholes.

When the weather changed

Around 5:30 or 6 in the morning, we were crossing a wildlife sanctuary when I looked up at the sky.

What I saw was impressive and slightly frightening.

The sky was filled with huge cumulonimbus clouds, the kind associated with thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.

That was when I realised that the news about Kerala was not an exaggeration.

Kerala was genuinely facing a severe flood situation.

But we had already come this far.

We did not want to turn back.

So we continued.

After driving for several more hours, we stopped at a petrol pump and took a short break.

From there, we could see the hills of Munnar in the distance.

The weather was not pleasant.

Our parents had started calling us repeatedly.

They were worried about us.

Looking back, I can imagine exactly what they were thinking.

The whole country was watching the Kerala floods, and here we were, four software engineers driving towards the hills.

I reminded everyone that I was a responsible person.

So I asked Avijit to call the hotel manager and confirm whether the roads were open and whether it was safe to drive towards Munnar.

Avijit spoke to the manager and came back with the answer.

Everything was fine.

We could go.

I did not completely trust the answer.

But I had no other option.

We trust our friends, right?

Welcome to Munnar

Around 3:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon, we reached the Munnar hills.

The roads had landslides.

There were huge traffic jams.

Trees had fallen across the roads.

There was panic everywhere.

But Kerala did not disappoint us.

Amazing views. Beautiful mountains. Lush green landscapes.

That is why people call it Adipoli Kerala.

Despite the difficult conditions, the drive was incredibly scenic.

The hotel manager had a secret

Finally, around 5 PM, we reached the hotel.

By then, we had started to understand just how risky our journey had been.

Roads were covered with fallen trees and landslide debris.

We had driven through difficult weather and uncertain road conditions.

And then Avijit told us something.

The hotel manager had actually asked us not to come to Munnar because the weather was bad and the flood situation was serious.

Had he told us the truth earlier, perhaps we would never have reached Munnar.

So that was Day 1.

Day 2 begins with rain

Day 1 was technically not over.

There was a waterfall close to our hotel, and it looked beautiful in the evening.

We were exhausted.

We took a shower, had dinner and went to bed.

Early the next morning, it started raining heavily.

The sound of the water was terrifying.

Half asleep, I thought our hotel had slipped into the valley and was being submerged by water.

Fortunately, it was only a nightmare.

I woke up, went outside and was relieved to find myself alive.

Avijit was walking around half dressed and laughing.

Somehow, he was enjoying the weather.

It was a horrible start to Day 2, but we were fine.

We listened to music and started making plans.

The hunt begins

We were ready to leave when we discovered some bad news.

Due to the heavy rain, Eravikulam National Park, also known as Rajamalai, had been closed.

This was the place where we had hoped to see Neelakurinji.

The disappointment was obvious.

But the locals told us about another place.

Vattavada.

They told us that with a little trekking, we could find Neelakurinji there.

We could already see the hills ahead, so we left Munnar and started towards Vattavada.

A few kilometres into the journey, we saw a beautiful blue flower.

I immediately shouted:

That is Neelakurinji!

I got out of the car, picked the flower and proudly started showing it to everyone.

I was so excited that I did not even bother to check a photograph online.

Soon enough, I discovered the truth.

It was just another flower.

The hunt was still on.

The beauty of Shola Forest

While driving towards Vattavada, we reached the Shola forest area.

I had never seen a place quite like it.

The forest was incredibly beautiful.

The combination of rain, mist, mountains and dense greenery made the entire drive feel almost unreal.

We stopped for a few minutes, took photographs and continued towards Vattavada.

About an hour later, we finally reached the village.

We found it

We started talking to the locals and asking about Neelakurinji.

The answer was encouraging.

Yes, it had bloomed.

And yes, we could see it.

We were thrilled.

Of course, our first thought was to pluck it and take it with us.

But we were told not to do that. The flower was protected, and visitors were expected to leave it where it grew.

Fair enough.

We had travelled all this way to see it.

There was no reason to destroy what we had come to admire.

It was raining heavily, but we were still enjoying every kilometre of the journey.

An unexpected elephant encounter

While driving towards Vattavada, we crossed another forested area and suddenly saw a herd of elephants.

To be honest, the elephant is probably the only animal that genuinely scares me.

I started shouting:

There is a family of Haathi!

In that moment, I completely forgot my English.

The elephants, meanwhile, were completely uninterested in my language skills.

They were busy enjoying the lush green grass.

The flower that blooms at long intervals

Back in Vattavada, an elderly local man accompanied us towards the Neelakurinji shrubs.

He reminded us not to pluck the flowers.

And finally, after all the driving, rain, landslides, wrong flowers and uncertainty, we saw what we had come looking for.

Neelakurinji.

The flower that blooms at long intervals in the Western Ghats.

After searching for it across the hills of Munnar, we had finally found it.

And yes, it was beautiful.

Beyond Neelakurinji

Vattavada has much more to offer than a rare flower.

You can find local strawberries, fruit jams, honey, fresh vegetables and other produce from the region.

The place has a quieter character compared with the more crowded tourist areas around Munnar.

If you are planning to stay in Vattavada, I had a good experience with I Love 3R Resort and found the owner pleasant.

Four of us

Four software engineers.

One unplanned journey.

A flood situation.

Landslides and fallen trees.

A wrong blue flower.

A herd of elephants.

Shola forests.

And finally, Neelakurinji.