A backpacking trip across Kerala led us to a small national park located in the Idukki district of Kerala. The park is all over the hilly terrain of the Western Ghats of India.

Every 12 years in the months of September/October, the green slopes of the park take a beautiful purple violet hue of the Neelkurinji flower. This wild flower grows only in this region and blooms once in 12 years (the last one was in 2006, next expected in 2018)

The Eravikulam national park is also the home of the endangered Neelgiri Thar amongst a whole lot of other species. The Neelgiri Thar is a close cousin of the Himalayan Thar and the population of the species in the park is around 700-750.

With constant influx of tourists in the park, this animal is quite used to human population and generally is not shy of humans.

Pictured here is the Neelgiri Thar with the Neelkurinji flowers forming the background of the picture…

Neelgiri Thar

The gorgeous Neelgiri Thar with the Neelkrinji flower