Banks in multiple cities across the country are observing four scheduled holidays this week. According to the official holiday list released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banking operations will remain shut in Maharashtra on Thursday, March 19.
Apart from Maharashtra, banks will remain shut in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa and Andhra Pradesh as well. This is due to the celebrations of Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Telugu New Year's Day, Cheiraoba and the first day of Navratri.
In Maharashtra, people are gearing up to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa on Thursday, March 19. The annual spring festival marks the beginning of the new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus. In the state, Gudi Padwa is observed with much pomp and show every year.
This is the time when people get together to celebrate the occasion by preparing feasts, exchanging gifts and hoisting a traditional Gudi flag. Notably, a public holiday has been declared in Maharashtra as well as Goa to allow people to celebrate the festival with their friends and families. This means that schools, colleges, banks, government offices, post offices and other institutions will remain shut on this day.
The central bank announces bank holidays in line with the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. Apart from the nationwide closures, banking institutions in India also mark holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, which includes account-closing days along with Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) operations.
Both scheduled and non-scheduled banks in the country observe holidays on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. However, banks remain open on the first and third Saturdays as well as the fifth Saturday when the calendar includes one.
Moreover, RBI's annual holidays list includes different regional events and local festivals observed by states.
During official holidays, bank branches remain shut, but customers are allow to go ahead with essential transactions through digital platforms like internet banking, mobile applications and ATMs for cash withdrawals.
Also, they can avail services via online banking platforms that enable account holders to complete several financial activities, Among these include sending money through UPI, NEFT and RTGS to opening fixed deposits, checking balances and making day-to-day payments.
ALSO READ: Stock Market Holiday: Are NSE, BSE Closed On March 19 For Gudi Padwa, Ugadi?
Remaining Bank Holidays In March 2026
March 20: Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramzan) and Jumat-ul-Vida in Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
March 21: Khutub-E-Ramzan all over India, except for Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Banks to remain shut in Jharkhand to mark Sarhul.
March 26: Shree Ram Navami in Gujarat, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh.
March 27: Shree Ram Navami (Chaite Dasain) in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Telangana, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.
March 31: Mahavir Janmakalyanak (Mahavir Jayanti) in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.
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