Bank holiday today: Are banks open or closed on 26 March for Ram Navami? All you need to know

Bank holiday today: Banks in several parts of India will remain closed on Thursday, 26 March, on account of Shree Ram Navami. The holiday applies in major cities such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata.

The bank holiday today is scheduled as part of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bank holiday calendar, released at the beginning of every year. According to the RBI calendar, March has 18 bank holidays.

Bank holidays in India vary by state and are based on local festivals and observances. As a result, bank closures are not uniform across the country. While branches in select cities will shut on the occasion of Ram Navami, others may continue to operate.

Under RBI guidelines, all scheduled and non-scheduled banks suspend operations pan-India on gazetted public holidays, as well as on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month and all Sundays.

Banks shut in these Indian cities today — full list

Bank holidays usually differ from region to region, depending on the festivals and other occasions celebrated in each area.

Hence, on the occasion of Ram Navami, banks will be shut in Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Shimla.

Ram Navami marks the birth of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu and a central figure in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The festival is observed with prayers, fasting, and devotional activities across the country.

When is the next bank holiday?

The next bank holiday will be observed on Friday, 27 March, on the occasion of Shree Ram Navami (Chaite Dasain), which is celebrated in several parts of the country.

As a result, both private and public lenders will remain closed in regions where the festival is observed. Banking operations will continue as usual in other parts of the country, depending on local holiday schedules.

Will online banking remain accessible on bank holiday?

Individuals are advised to check with their local bank branches for exact holiday applicability. Meanwhile, essential banking services remain operational nationwide despite the physical branch closures.

If you need cash urgently or need to send money on a bank holiday, it's possible. ATM services operate around the clock, including bank holidays. To send money on a bank holiday, online banking services such as NEFT, IMPS, and RTGS are available.

Apart from this, you can also use UPI services on bank holidays to send and receive money as they are functional even on these days. Bank holidays only suspend banking operations that require a physical visit to the branch, such as encashing a cheque.