PHOTO ESSAY: FLOWERS GALORE, KURINJIS AND MORE..

Friday, November 03, 2006

I had traveled to Chikmagalur two weeks ago. I was there, among other things, to have a look at the rare Neelakurinji flowers which are known to flower only once in 12 years. This was the year of flowering and they were in full bloom. In Chikmagalur, they bloom around the hills of Bababudangiri, also called Chandradrona Parvata.

While Kurinjis were the flowers I was looking forward to, I saw plenty of flowers different varieties all around. My first sight of flowers in abundance were much before I was at the hills. It was fun to see some jolly folks plucking lotus from a pond.



I also saw many touch-me-nots spread out in large numbers. Though they are pretty common, I think it has been a while since I had seen them before. So much for living in a city!



As I approached the town of Chikmagalur, I saw this hoarding inviting people to visit the hills to see the Kurinjis.



According to this, the flowering season is from September to November. So if you haven't been there yet, hurry before they are gone!



As I climbed up the hill, it did not take me long to see the Kurinjis. They were in plenty, and they were everywhere. Some hills were entirely covered with just the Kurinji plants.



They looked beautiful and covered vast vistas of the hill range.



But they were not alone. There were so many flowers, many of them tiny, I could not not even count how many types were there.



And they had generously spread out all over the slopes and made the hills look prettier than ever.



And they came in many colors and sizes.





Some of them were so small, I would never have sighted them without looking hard for them!



But the most beautiful of the lot that I saw was also the biggest among them.



There were plenty of visitors to the hills, but to my surprise, almost everyone seemed to be oblivious to the flowers. But I was having a great time among the flowers and had no time to bother about that.





Purple flowers, I guess were the most dominant of all the lot, with Kurinjis having taken up most of the space. Small white flowers came next, followed by yellow ones.



Flowers of many colors spread together on the slopes was a treat for the eyes.



This pink flower below was one of uncommon ones on the slope. I would not have found it, had I not walked around so much around the hills.



But alas, it looks like we just can't enjoy the beauty of these hills without doing our bit to spoil them. There were some disturbing sights too. Like some garbage, etc..



It was very pleasant day among the flowers, and watching the sunset among the Kurinjis before I headed back was a blissful moment.



Let us hope to preserve this pristine place and keep it clean and beautiful!