Bank holiday on Mahashivratri 2024: Banks to remain shut for March 8

Bank holiday on Mahashivratri 2024: Mahashivratri is a very auspicious occasion when the devotees offer prayers to Lord Shiva, and Shakti. Check the full March holiday list here

Banks remain shut in India during public holidays. On some occasions, the banks remain closed across the country; these are gazetted holidays like Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti, while some festival holidays are state-centric such as Mahashivratri.

In March, the banks across states will remain off for 14 days as per the holiday list issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). There are occasions when banks will remain closed for three consecutive days, offering two long holiday weekends. The holiday list includes two long weekends. This holiday list includes specific states as well as the RBI. The holiday calendar for March month includes all Sundays, Saturdays (Second and Fourth), public holidays and some regional holidays as well.

March 8 marks Mahashivratri, followed by Holi on March 25, and Good Friday on March 29, all are observed as national holidays. Bihar observed state-specific holidays on March 22 due to Bihar Diwas and Yaoshang's second day/Holi on 26 and 27 March.

Banks are also scheduled to remain off on March 9 and March 23 due to the second and fourth Saturday, respectively. No need to mention that the bank will remain shut on all Sundays. However, it is worth noting that all online banking services will work effectively across the nation. Even on specified dates, online banking services and ATMs will continue to function seamlessly.

List of Bank Holidays in March 2024

Here’s the list of Bank Holidays in March 2024

March 8: Bank holiday on Mahashivratri 2024 (except West Bengal, Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland, Itanagar, Goa, Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, New Delhi, Bihar, 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 Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Kerala, Nagaland, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Srinagar)

March 26: Yaoshang second day/Holi (Odisha, Manipur, Bihar)

March 27: Holi (Bihar)

March 29: Good Friday (except Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, and Rajasthan)

March 31: Sunday

Mahashivratri 2024

Mahashivratri comes once a year in February or March as these are considered auspicious where all the devotees offer prayers to Lord Shiva, and Shakti, its essence means the male and female power that keeps the world in balance. Shiva and Shakti are considered as the epitome of love, power and oneness.