Vijayawada, November 20: The 'Pushkaram' for River Tungabhadra will be held for a period of 12 days from November 20 to December 1, Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Velampalli Srinivas said on Thursday.

He said that the river festival will start at around 1:21 pm on Friday and that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will take part in the traditional pooja rituals to be held at Kurnool.

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"23 ghats are set up in Kurnool district -- 7 in Kurnool city, 8 in Mantralayam, 5 in Kodumuru, 2 in Emmiganur and one in Nandikotkur town. However, the devotees are not allowed to take holy dips in the river due to the COVID-19 pandemic," Srinivas said while addressing the media here.

Instead, he said that showers have been arranged at the ghats in accordance with the guidelines of the Central government and urged the devotees to cooperate in this regard.

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The minister said that 350 'purohits' have been made available for devotees. "A free e-ticket booking facility is made available. Devotees can book tickets online or current booking is also available. Devotees will be informed about time slots for prayers and the ghat details," he added.

Srinivas said that devotees will be allowed from 6 am to 6 pm only. A total number of 23 in-charges are deployed for hassle-free conduct of Pushkarams. Further, 16 committees and nodal officers will also be available for services during Pushkaram celebrations," he said.

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