Banks will remain closed in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh.
The holiday list includes two long weekends, with banks remaining closed for three consecutive days on certain occasions. Apart from Mahashivratri, the list includes holidays like Holi on March 25 and Good Friday on March 29, both of which are observed as national holidays.
In addition to national holidays, some states have specific holidays. Bihar, for example, will observe state-specific holidays on March 22 for Bihar Diwas and on March 26 and 27 for Yaoshang’s second day/Holi.
While banks will be closed on Mahashivratri, online banking services will remain operational. This means that customers can still carry out transactions through online banking and ATMs on the holiday.
Here is a list of bank holidays in March 2024:
March 8: Mahashivratri (except West Bengal, Sikkim, Tripura, Itanagar, Nagaland, Goa, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Bihar, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu)
March 9: Second Saturday
March 10: Sunday
March 17: Sunday
March 22: Bihar Diwas (Bihar)
March 23: Fourth Saturday
March 24: Sunday
March 25: Holi (except Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Odisha, Karnataka, Nagaland, Bihar, Srinagar)
March 26: Yaoshang second day/Holi (Odisha, Manipur, Bihar)
March 27: Holi (Bihar)
March 29: Good Friday (except Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan)
About Mahashivratri:
The Hindu festival Mahashivratri, devoted to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, will be observed nationwide in India on Friday, March 8. This festival, also known as Shivratri or Mahashivratri, is celebrated with great splendour in Hindu temples, with devotees offering prayers to Lord Shiva, the destroyer and most compassionate deity in the universe.
According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were married on the night of Mahashivratri. This divine union is celebrated as The Night of Lord Shiva, and devotees observe this day with fasting, prayers, and rituals to seek the blessings of the divine couple.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
