After 12 years, Neelakurinji flowers have bloomed in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. This type of mass flowering is recognised as gregarious flowering.
It is a shrub that is discovered in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala, Karnataka and Nadu.
Locally recognised as Kurinji, the flowers develop at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,400 metres.
Nilgiri Hills, which literally means blue Mountains, is named after Neelakurinjis purple-blue flowers, which bloom only once every 12 years.