Bank holiday today: Public and private sector banks across several areas in the country will stay closed on Wednesday, February 26, on the occasion of the Mahashivratri festival, a sacred day for Hindus. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bank holiday calendar, there is a bank holiday across 22 cities in India today.
The Mahashivratri bank holiday will be observed under the ‘Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act’ section of the RBI.
However, not all cities will see a bank holiday today as Mahashivratri is not a bank holiday. Banks will be closed in a select few cities.
Bank holiday on Mahashivratri: Cities observing bank holiday today
All state-run and private lenders will close for offline services on February 26 in these cities due to Mahashivratri — Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Hyderabad – Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad – Telangana, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Shimla, Srinagar and Thiruvananthapuram.
However, there is no bank holiday in several states including Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Bengal, New Delhi, Goa, Bihar and Meghalaya, even on the occasion of Mahashivratri.
Bank holidays often vary from state to state and region to region. They are closed across the country on national holidays like Gandhi Jayanti and Diwali. Apart from these, bank holidays are observed on every second and fourth Saturdays as well as all Sundays. All bank branches across the country remain open on first, third and fifth Saturdays unless the RBI declares a holiday.
Since Mahashivratri is not a national holiday, bank customers are advised to verify the same with their nearest branch to avoid any confusion. Services that require a physical visit to the bank, including withdrawing money with a chequebook, will not be available in many cities and states due to the bank holiday today.
Online banking on Mahashivratri bank holiday
It must be noted that account holders and customers can still avail most bank services by utilising internet banking, SMS banking, and WhatsApp banking services for financial and non-financial needs. Online bank services like fund transfers, paying bills and utilities, UPI services, requesting chequebooks, downloading statements and booking tickets will be available. ATM cash withdrawal as well as non-cash transactions will also be available.
Mahashivratri 2025
Mahashivratri is an annual Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Shiva. As per the Hindu calendar, it is observed on the 14th day of the first half of the lunar month. This is also the darkest night of the year.
Schools, colleges, stock markets and some other institutions will also be closed on Mahashivratri.
