Many banks across India are observing a holiday today, coinciding with Diwali Amavasya (Deepawali) and Govardhan Pooja. While the majority of the country celebrated Diwali on October 20th, a portion of the population marked the occasion on October 21st. This has led to banks being closed in several cities today.
Cities with Bank Closures Today:
As per the holiday list released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks will be closed in the following cities:
- Belapur
- Bhopal
- Gangtok
- Guwahati
- Imphal
- Jammu
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- Raipur
- Srinagar
It’s worth noting that banks in Bhopal, Gangtok, Guwahati, and Raipur were already closed on October 20th for Diwali or Naraka Chaturdashi/Kali Puja.
Previous Closures for Diwali:
Earlier, banks were also shut in cities such as Delhi, Ahmedabad, Agartala, Panaji, Ranchi, Shillong, Thiruvananthapuram, Kanpur, Shimla, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Aizawl, Kochi, Dehradun, Chennai, Jaipur, Itanagar, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Kolkata, marking the main Diwali holiday.
Why the Confusion Over Diwali Dates?
The festive period saw a slight confusion regarding the celebration of Diwali this year due to the timing of the Amavasya Tithi. This lunar phase, crucial for determining Diwali’s date, spanned across two days, October 20th and 21st. Consequently, some individuals celebrated and performed Lakshmi Pujan on the first day, while others observed it on the second, leading to varying holiday schedules for institutions like banks.