IDUKKI: As Kerala prepares for another neelakurinji season after a gap of 12 years, hope is blooming once again on the misty slopes of Chokramudi near Adimali. If nature keeps its rhythm, the hills are expected to turn shades of purple by September and October, marking the flowering cycle last witnessed in 2014.
For the Muthuvan tribal communities living around Chokramudi, the expected bloom is more than a visual spectacle. It is a sign that the mountain is reclaiming its natural character after years of ecological disturbance caused by encroachment, illegal construction and land conversion.
The anticipation comes at a time when the high-altitude grasslands are already showing visible signs of recovery. Since the government reclaimed encroached land and curbed human activity in the area, native flora and fauna have gradually begun returning to the fragile shola-grassland ecosystem.
Herds of Nilgiri tahr, once driven away by constant construction activity, are now regularly seen grazing across the slopes, while elephants, gaurs, monkeys and several bird species have also become more frequent visitors.
The return of native vegetation has further strengthened hopes of a full neelakurinji season this year. Scattered patches of the flower had bloomed across Chokramudi in 2025, raising expectations among visitors.
However, members of the Muthuvan tribal community say those blossoms were what they traditionally call kallappoov (false bloom), a natural precursor to the mass flowering.
“The flowers that bloomed in patches last year were kallappoov. They appear before the actual flowering season and often make people think the bloom has arrived. The real neelakurinji season is expected this year, when the entire hill will turn blue,” said a tribal elder.
An official with the Eravikulam National Park said the scattered flowering witnessed last year was not unusual.
“The Chokramudi-Kodaikanal-Poondi-Shola National Park landscape last flowered in 2014 and the next mass bloom is expected this year. Even in Eravikulam, where the last major flowering was in 2018, a few scattered flowers appeared in 2025. Climate
change and human disturbance can influence the flowering cycle, but isolated blooms ahead of the main flowering are not uncommon,” the official said.
The ecological turnaround follows the government’s action against widespread encroachment that came to light in 2024. Investigations revealed illegal land transactions, unauthorised road construction and large-scale clearing of the hills for real estate development.
A special investigation also found that chemicals had allegedly been used to destroy native vegetation, including neelakurinji, while natural water sources originating from the hill were polluted. In 2025, the government cancelled title deeds for over 13 acres of encroached land and reclaimed the area, followed by action against a private resort built on government land.
For the tribal community, the return of Kurinji represents the revival of a landscape they have long considered sacred.
“These hills are part of our belief and our life. When outsiders destroy them, it hurts our culture too,” said Ramachandran, a Muthuvan community member.
Environmentalists and local residents believe Chokramudi is slowly healing.
“If left undisturbed, we could once again see Chokramudi draped in the iconic blue carpet of neelakurinji,” said C Rajendran, a former district panchayat member.