Skip to content
Free updates Login
SSCUPSC & State PSC

Kudremukh Hills Blue Bloom: Neelakurinji Facts for Exams

31 August 20261 min read
ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGYKudremukh HillsBlue Bloom:Neelakurinji Factsfor Exams31 August 2026safalsetu.com

Why in the news

Trekkers in Kudremukh saw a mass flowering colour parts of the hills blue-purple. Observers compared it with the famed Neelakurinji flowering of the Western Ghats.

About Neelakurinji

  • Botanical name Strobilanthes kunthiana, family Acanthaceae.
  • Flowers just once every 12 years, found in Western Ghats shola grasslands chiefly across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
  • The Nilgiri Hills (blue mountains) are named after it.
  • Gained legal protection in 2024 through Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Munnar’s last major bloom came in 2018.

About Kudremukh

  • In Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka; Kudremukh National Park is the Western Ghats’ second biggest wet evergreen forest reserve.
  • Name means horse face in Kannada.
  • Three rivers begin here: Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi.
  • Lies within the Western Ghats UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Exam angle

  • Neelakurinji: Strobilanthes kunthiana, 12-year cycle.
  • Rivers from Kudremukh: Tunga, Bhadra, Nethravathi.

Test yourself

1. What is the scientific name of Neelakurinji?

Neelakurinji is Strobilanthes kunthiana.

2. Neelakurinji, resembled by the Kudremukh bloom, flowers once in how many years?

The notes say it blooms once in 12 years.

3. Which three rivers originate in the Kudremukh region?

Kudremukh is the source of the Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi.

This topic is part of Daily Current Affairs 30 & 31 August 2026 (14 topics).

All topics of the dayDay quizAugust 2026

Read more