The country finds itself in the midst of harvest festivals, including Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Pongal and Bihu. While the festivities are on, people are wondering whether banks will be operational during these celebrations. According to the holiday calendar released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks in several states will observe holidays on January 14 and 15 for harvest festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Magh Bihu, Uttarayana Punyakala, and Pongal. According to the Reserve Bank of India, these festivals are categorised as holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
While banks will observe the holiday on January 14 in a few eastern and northeastern states, banks in major metros such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad will be closed on January 15. These harvest festivals are celebrated in the mid-winter season across India. These festivals mark the end of winter and the beginning of a new agricultural season.
Bank Holidays in January
January 1: Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, West Bengal and Meghalaya
January 2: Mizoram and Kerala
January 3: Uttar Pradesh
January 12: West Bengal
January 14: Gujarat, Odisha, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
January 15: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
January 16: Tamil Nadu
January 17: Tamil Nadu
January 23: Tripura, Odisha and West Bengal
January 26: Nationwide
Stock market holiday
Notably, the Indian stock market will be closed on January 15, 2026, as trading will be suspended on both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The activities will witness closure in the backdrop of Municipal Corporation Elections in Maharashtra.
The exchanges have issued official notifications stating that the equity segment, equity derivatives, and electronic gold receipts (EGRs) will have no trading during normal market hours, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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