As Chhath Puja festivities sweep across eastern India, banks in several states remain closed today and tomorrow. For millions celebrating the ancient festival, it’s a time of devotion — and for others, a reminder to rely on online banking instead.
States Where Banks Are Shut for Chhath Puja
Banks across Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of West Bengal are observing holidays today, October 27, with some extending closures into October 28. The Reserve Bank of India’s regional holiday list specifies these dates, but they don’t apply nationally.
In Bihar, branches will stay closed both days as people gather at ghats for the traditional evening and morning offerings to the Sun God. Jharkhand, where the festival is equally sacred, has followed the same two-day schedule. West Bengal, meanwhile, declared just a single-day closure for the evening rituals.
Most other states — including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu — are operating normally today. However, ATMs and digital platforms continue to serve customers across the country without interruption.
In case you’re wondering what this looks like across the map, here’s a quick summary:
| State | Bank Holiday Dates | Occasion |
|---|---|---|
| Bihar | Oct 27 & 28 | Chhath Puja (Evening & Morning Arghya) |
| Jharkhand | Oct 27 & 28 | Chhath Puja |
| West Bengal | Oct 27 | Chhath Puja (Evening Arghya) |
| Gujarat | Oct 31 | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jayanti |
| Rest of India | Open | Regular Banking Day |
Banks are expected to resume normal operations immediately after these holidays. Still, local branch timings may vary depending on state circulars or local government notifications.
What Is Chhath Puja and Why It Matters
If you’ve never witnessed Chhath Puja firsthand, it’s hard to describe its energy. Thousands gather along riverbanks, ponds, and lakes, standing waist-deep in water as the sun dips below the horizon. Then again at dawn, they return — a ritual both exhausting and deeply moving.
The festival is dedicated to Surya, the Sun God, and Chhathi Maiya, believed to protect children and ensure family well-being. It’s a four-day observance rooted in gratitude for life and harvest.
For many in Bihar and Jharkhand, it’s more than a holiday. Offices close early. Trains run packed. Temporary bamboo huts appear on rooftops. Families reunite, and even those living far away often travel back home for these few sacred days.
One banker from Patna joked that his “branch manager becomes untraceable during Chhath,” but added, “no one minds — it’s that one festival we all share.”
Impact on Financial Operations
While these regional closures are routine, they still create ripple effects. Cheque clearances, cash deposits, and in-person document processing will pause in affected states. Businesses that rely on daily bank visits — especially small traders and wholesalers — often plan around it.
Digital transactions, however, continue seamlessly. Mobile apps, internet banking, and UPI remain active across all platforms. RBI’s 24×7 payment infrastructure ensures fund transfers and bill payments face no disruption.
So even though your local branch might have its shutters down, your phone screen is still open for business.
Still, some operations are on hold:
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Physical cheque clearances will resume once banks reopen.
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Demand drafts and large withdrawals may face brief delays.
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Inter-branch transactions could take an extra day to reflect in accounts.
Basically, if you’re expecting a payment from a state where banks are closed, don’t panic if it shows up tomorrow instead of today.
How RBI Schedules Bank Holidays
India’s banking calendar is a patchwork of national and regional holidays. The Reserve Bank of India publishes an annual schedule that covers all 34 regional offices. Each state gets its own list of local observances, based on culture, religion, and administrative decisions.
The RBI categorizes holidays under three heads — Negotiable Instruments Act, Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) holidays, and Banks’ Closing of Accounts days. That means not all branches across India shut at once.
For instance, while Bihar observes two full days off for Chhath, Tamil Nadu banks remain open because the festival isn’t regionally recognized there.
An official from a major public sector bank explained, “We try to align with local sentiments. Festivals like Chhath carry deep significance, so our branches reflect that by closing in those regions.”
It’s a system that balances uniformity with local sensitivity — something few other financial networks manage as neatly.
October’s Remaining Bank Holidays
If you’re planning any bank work later this month, there’s one more key date. On October 31, banks in Gujarat will remain shut to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India.
Beyond that, October has no nationwide shutdowns left. But remember, every second and fourth Saturday, plus all Sundays, are fixed holidays across India.
That means:
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October 26 (Sunday) – Closed nationwide
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November 1 (Saturday) – Banks open (first Saturday)
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November 8 (Second Saturday) – Closed
Simple but useful to note if you’re planning big transfers or deposits.
Digital Banking Keeps India Moving
Even during festive breaks, digital banking proves to be a quiet savior. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) reported over 14.1 billion UPI transactions in September 2025 — a record that shows how deeply mobile payments have taken root in Indian life.
That means festival or not, your money moves when you want it to.
Apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm dominate transaction volumes, but traditional banks’ own apps — SBI YONO, HDFC NetBanking, and ICICI iMobile — are also seeing renewed traction.
An RBI spokesperson recently said that digital transactions now form the “backbone of India’s payment system,” ensuring that holiday closures no longer stall economic activity the way they once did.
So, while families prepare their baskets of fruits and sugarcane for the evening offerings, many are also paying bills or sending festival gifts through UPI. Faith and fintech, side by side.
A Blend of Faith, Family, and Financial Planning
There’s a poetic symmetry to it — the Sun God being honored while digital payments light up screens nationwide. Chhath Puja has always been about gratitude and balance, and somehow, even India’s financial calendar mirrors that.
As one resident of Ranchi said while preparing for the morning arghya, “The banks can close. But our devotion doesn’t. And now even our phones don’t stop working.”
So yes, the branches may be closed for a while. But life — and banking — keeps going, just in a different rhythm today.
