Kerala, popularly known as God's Own Country! A place which is liked by many, visited by national, international Travellers, located in Indian Peninsula, southern India. Though I am not the first person to talk about this beautiful place, it's worth mentioning that Kerala is known for its rich biodiversity, flora, and fauna, and had attracted European back in the 15th century which led to the establishment of East India Company.
But, lesser-known that, in the valley of Western Ghats, in the forest of Nilgiris, a flower blooms once in 12 years, that is 'Neelakurinji'. Are you aware of the Kerala Flood of 2018? Yes, that's the year when 'Neelakurinji' bloomed again in the hills of Nilgiris after a gap of 12 years.
A fine Thursday evening, we were lying on the couch, floor, chair whatever available in the hall(It's a bachelor's flat by the way), wasting time, and hunting for the location which can be explored. My friend, Avijit suggested Munnar, and I second that because we had the opportunity to explore the shrubs of Neelakurinji. And, we called Durga, he nodded yes, and then he called his friend, and we were all set to explore Kerala, least worried of the flood situation, though we were wise enough to ignore the panic created by the Media ( you know how it works right?)
We quickly gathered all the required belongings for travel, and without making a plan headed for Kerala, we knew, it would be memorable. About midnight we headed for Kerala, the destination was 'Munnar' a popular hill station. 4 of us, software engineers, always need an excuse to escape Bangalore ( Namma Bengaluru !!! We love Bengaluru). And, now we were on the Kanakapura route to Munnar' ( We took this route because it was not a national highway, and there were sanctuaries on the way. The short, easy and the best route is Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharampuri - Salem highway), now Avijit on the driving seat, full-on 'JOSH' after a couple of hours he started feeling asleep, and I took charge of driving ( then I had 5 months of driving experience, I am good at everything :D). we had to go a long way, as a responsible driver I did not want to awake my fellow mates, and I was maintaining the max speed of 30 KM/Hours ( don't laugh, there was a road in between potholes ? ).
Early morning about. 5.30 ~6 O'clock we were crossing a wildlife sanctuary, and what I saw was horrible, the sky was filled with "Cumulonimbus clouds" (a type of cumulus cloud associated with thunderstorms and heavy precipitation). And, then I realized, what is being broadcasted on television is true, Kerala is facing the Havoc of a flood. Never mind, we did not want to miss the opportunity to see Neelakurinji, we did not look back, and continued... After driving for a few hours we stopped at a petrol pump, to attend our nature's call.
From, petrol pump, we could see the hills of Munnar, to be honest, the weather was not pleasant, we were continuously getting calls from parents, as they were worried about us, ( crying/ laughing at our stupidity) - the whole nation was crying on Kerala Flood, and here we were on a mood to travel despite being aware of heavy flood situations. If you remember, I am a responsible person ( haha!!), I urged Avijit to call the hotel manager and check whether all the routes were open and whether it's safe to drive in the hills. Avijit spoke to the manager, and said, everything is fine, and we can go ( I did not trust him, but I had no other options, we trust our friends right!)
We started driving, headed towards Munnar. About 3~3.30 PM we reached Munnar hills, trust me, though roads were filled with the landslide, there were huge traffic jams on roads, trees were fallen here and there, there were panic situations - but, but, but, Kerala did not disappoint us, AMAZING view, that's why we call 'Adipoli Kerala' ( Amazing Kerala). It was a beautiful scenic drive, watch this short video -
Drive to Top Station Munnar, during flood and landslide
FAQ
Q. How to reach Munnar?
A. From Bangalore Buses are Frequently available for an overnight journey. If You're planning to go by your own vehicle, the best route would be Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharampuri - Salem highway. Roads are nice, and well maintained, you can cover the distance of ~550 KM in 10 ~12 hours.The nearest airport is Kochin Airport, hire a cab to move towards your destinations.
Q. Key places to visit in Munnar?
A. Munnar is known for a scenic drive, you will see lush green tree plantations. You can visit Tea estates, do visit Eravikulam Nation Park, also known as Rajamalai( You can't go by your own vehicle, to reach the national park you need to onboard Kerala State Transport Buses. It's a tough terrain, private vehicles are not allowed.
Also visit Anamudi Peak, place for hiking and elephants
At Eravikulam, you can also find 'Nilgiri Tahr', a species of goat that is listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List. Other places are, Top Station Munnar, you can enjoy a beautiful scenic drive. About an hour drive from Munnar, you can Visit Vattavada, Shola National Park - you can ask for Organic Fruit Jam, Honey, Strawberries, etc.
Q. Best Time to Visit Munnar?
A. Though it's a beautiful place, and you can visit throughout the year, but to avoid risk visit preferably after the monsoon. Munnar has sloppy hills, there would be the chance of huge rainfall and landslide - Avoid During Monsoon, October till March/ April an Ideal season. October ~January a peak season.
And, finally about 5 PM in the evening we reached the Hotel, we could feel that what we had done so far was dangerous, and roads were filled with trees and landslide, and then Avijit said - 'Hotel manager had asked us to not visit Munnar, as weather is bad and there is heavy flood'. Had he not lied, we would not be in Munnar, so it was DAY - 1.
Shot at Shola Forest, on the way to Vattavada, pic credit - Author@ Coolsage
Well, Day 1 is not yet over, next to our hotel there was a waterfall, it was amazing in the evening. We were all tired, we took shower and after our dinner, we went to our bed and fell asleep. Early morning, it started raining heavily, there was a horrible sound of water, I thought, our hotel had slipped into the valley, and was getting submerged into the water ( Luckily, it was a nightmare ). I woke up, went outside, and I was glad to find myself alive, and Avijit, half-naked was walking around and laughing ( I wish I could post his picture). Somehow he was enjoying the weather.
It was a Horrible start to Day 2, but we were fine, listening to music, and started making plans. By the way ' Bose Sound is amazing'
credit - Author@ Coolsage
Well, we were all ready by now, but soon we realized due to heavy rain Eravikulam National Park( Rajamalai) has been closed - the place where we wanted to see Neelakurinji. The disappointment was obvious, locals told us about a place 'Vattavada' where, with little trek we can see Neelakurinji - we could see the Silver line, and we headed for Vattavada, left Munnar. As soon as we started, after a few kilometers, we saw a beautiful 'Blue Flower', and I loudly said, that's Neelakurnji - I got down from the car and plucked the flower.
I was so excited that I did not even google the image to check the authenticity of the flower, and started sending it across - and soon, I realized, this is just another flower, not 'Neelakurinji'.
Don't go anywhere, the hunt is still on!
Shot at Top Station Munnar, on the way to Vattavada, pic credit - Author@ Coolsage
While driving, we reached 'Shola National Forest', I had not seen any other place as beautiful as Shola forest, trust me it was amazing! I shot a pic too, here you go -
Shot at Shola Forest, on the way to Vattavada, pic credit - Author@ Coolsage
After spending a few minutes, we again headed for Vattavada, reached there in an hour, talked to locals about 'Neelakurinji', and they said yes, it has bloomed, and we can see that. We were super thrilled to see the flower and pluck it, but as per government rules, we can not pluck it, and can't take it outside Kerala! you too remember that but before I show you how does Neelakurinji looks, look at this short clip, of the amazing scenic view of Top Station @ Munnar -
Top Station Munnar scenic drive.
It was raining heavily, but still, we loved the drive. While driving towards Vattavada, we crossed a forest area and saw a herd of elephants ( to be honest, the elephant is the only animal I am scared of, and I was shouting that there is a family of Haathi ( elephant), I forgot my English!). They were happy, as they were enjoying the lush green grass!!
Okay, we are back to Vattavada now, an old age person in his 60's, accompanies us to Neelakurinji shrub, and asked us not to pluck it - we made a short video, and here is the image of 'Neelakurinji', the flower which blooms once in 12 years -
It's Beautiful, isn't it?
Shot at Vattavada, pic credit - Author@ Coolsage
So it was about Neelakurinji!!
In vattavada, you can look for organic strawberries, fruit jam, and other local vegetables that are not found elsewhere. If you're planning to stay in Vattavada, do visit 'I Love 3R' Resort. It's a beautiful resort - the owner is pleasant!Hope you liked our journey, the hunt of Neelakurinji!
