Kurinji Flower is a gregarious flowering
plant hence it blooms once in 12 years. It belongs to the species
Strobilanthes. Kurinji Flower is native to Nilgiris, India.
In Asia there are over 200 species of
Stroilanthes. There are 150 species in India alone of which 40 species
are found in the Western Ghats and the Nilgiris.
Vital statistics of Kurinji Flower
Botanical Name: Strobilanthes kunthiana
Colloquial Name: Kurinji, Kurunji, Neelakurinji
Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)
The Kurinji flower is bright purple-blue
in color. The Kurinji flower is bell shape. The kurinji blooms in a
clustered manner on a typical inflorescence stocks. The flowering season
ranges between August and November with a peak period of late September
and October.
Interesting facts related to Kurinji flowers
The name of place Nilgiris (in Tamil
Nadu, India) means Blue Mountains. The mountains got their name after
NeelaKurinji flower (Neela means blue in Tamil and Malayalam) as they
covered the vast hills like blue color during the blooming season.
It has been noticed that there has been
an increase in the rock bees during the flowering season. It is
interesting that with the blooming of kurinji flowers Paliyan tribal
people calculate their age.
The writers and poets of Sangam age (2nd
to 3rd century AD) have expressed the Kurinji flower and the associated
mountainous landscape where it blooms as a symbol for the union of
lovers.
It has been described vividly by the
poets in the ancient Tamil Sangham literature like Ahananuru,
Maduraikkanchi and Kurinjipattu.
The ancient Tamil Nadu was once divided into five geographical zone and one of the zones name was called Kurinji.
According to Hindu mythology, Murgan
(second son of God Shiva) married Valli, a veda (tribal hunter) girl and
wore a Kurinji garland during his wedding ceremony.
Murga is known as Kurinji Andvar (God of Kurinji). There is a famous temple dedicated to Murgan on a hilltop in Kodaikanal.
