Janmashtami shuts branches in many states today—here's what changes for you
Monday, August 25, 2025, is a bank holiday across large parts of India, with branches shut in several states for Janmashtami and, in parts of the Northeast, for the Tirubhav Tithi of Srimanta Sankardev. The Reserve Bank of India’s holiday calendar for 2025 lists the day as a regional holiday in many jurisdictions, which means closures are widespread but not uniform nationwide.
In practice, expect branches to be closed in most major banking hubs—Delhi (NCT), Mumbai and Pune (Maharashtra), Kolkata (West Bengal), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Hyderabad (Telangana), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Lucknow and Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)—along with multiple other state capitals and district centers. Assam and parts of the Northeast are marking the Tirubhav Tithi of Srimanta Sankardev, which is also on today’s holiday roster in those locations. Some states that do not formally observe today’s festivals will keep branches open, so the status depends on where you live.
Janmashtami’s date varies each year based on the lunar calendar, which is why the RBI’s list treats it as a regional holiday rather than an all-India shutdown. The 2025 calendar also makes August a busy month for closures: Independence Day on August 15, Raksha Bandhan in some states on August 8, two Saturdays off (second and fourth), Sundays, and multiple local observances add up to roughly 14–15 bank holidays in total across the month, depending on the state.
If you need to move money today, don’t panic. Digital rails remain up. India’s core retail payment systems—UPI, IMPS, and card networks—run 24x7. NEFT and RTGS are available online round the clock as well, except during brief scheduled downtimes. You can continue paying bills, sending transfers, and making merchant payments. What you cannot do is walk into a branch for over-the-counter services, locker access, cash deposits at teller counters, or in-person KYC/loan paperwork.
What’s closed, what’s open, and how to plan around it
Here’s a simple run-through of services today and what it means for your transactions.
- Branches: Closed in states that observe the holiday. This includes most major metros and several state capitals. A few regions will have normal operations where the holiday isn’t notified.
- ATMs: Operational. Banks aim to keep machines stocked, but high festival withdrawals can cause sporadic outages in busy neighborhoods. Try a second nearby ATM if one is down.
- Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) and passbook kiosks: Often accessible if located in 24x7 lobbies. Availability varies by branch and city security rules.
- UPI/IMPS/card payments: Working as usual. Merchant QR payments, app-to-app transfers, and tap/swipe transactions continue.
- NEFT/RTGS via internet banking: Available 24x7. Large-value transfers (RTGS) and routine transfers (NEFT) can be initiated online.
- Cheque clearing: Likely deferred to the next working day in holiday jurisdictions because clearing houses follow the holiday schedule. If you deposited a cheque over the weekend, expect credit on Tuesday, August 26 (or later where additional local holidays apply).
- Locker access: Not available where branches are closed. Plan visits for Tuesday onward.
- Customer care: Phone banking and chat support remain available, though wait times can rise during holidays.
Why the patchwork? RBI classifies holidays under three heads—Negotiable Instruments Act (N.I. Act) holidays, RTGS holidays, and bank closing of accounts. Janmashtami typically falls under the N.I. Act category, which applies state by state based on local notifications. That’s why your friend in one city may find their branch closed while yours stays open.
The Northeast exception today is worth noting. Srimanta Sankardev’s Tirubhav Tithi is an important cultural and religious date in Assam and parts of the region, and banks there follow the local holiday calendar. If you’re sending or receiving funds with a party whose bank operates in that geography, your digital transfers will go through, but anything needing physical clearing—like cheques—will move on the next business day for that center.
Planning a big transfer or payment? A quick checklist helps avoid snags:
- For urgent payouts, use UPI/IMPS for instant credit. For high-value amounts, use RTGS via net banking.
- Avoid relying on in-branch services today—account opening, KYC updates, DD/PO issuance, locker visits, loan closures—push these to Tuesday.
- If you’re expecting a cheque credit, assume settlement on the next business day in your city’s clearing zone.
- Merchants using UPI or card POS should see settlements as usual. If you face delays, check your acquirer’s holiday cut-offs in the app dashboard.
- Keep an eye on ATM cash levels in festival-heavy areas. Withdraw during off-peak hours if possible.
For families and businesses, the timing matters. The 25th sits close enough to month-end for some to worry about payrolls, EMIs, SIPs, and utility auto-debits. Electronic auto-debits continue on schedule. If your EMI is cheque-based or requires in-branch processing, confirm with your lender and consider shifting to an e-mandate to avoid these holiday bottlenecks in the future.
Travelers and students away from home should top up before heading out. Pre-load mobile wallets or keep a backup UPI app handy in case one app throws an error. Most downtime issues are short-lived, but having two apps linked to different banks gives you a safety net.
So, who exactly is shut today? Based on the RBI’s 2025 calendar and bank circulars, closures include most metro centers—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur—and major cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, and Bhopal, among others. Several additional state capitals and district towns follow suit. In contrast, a handful of states where Janmashtami isn’t a notified holiday for today may keep branches open. If you’re unsure, check your bank’s holiday list in your mobile app or the notice board at your local branch.
One more thing about the August calendar. With multiple festivals landing in quick succession this year, a lot of people are bunching tasks like KYC updates, locker visits, and cash-intensive business deposits on the limited working days. Expect a mini-rush on Tuesday morning when branches reopen. If your work can wait, midweek afternoons are usually quieter.
To sum up the essentials for today: branches are closed in many states for Janmashtami and regional observances, but digital rails are up; cheque clearing shifts to the next business day; lockers and in-person services pause; and normal counter operations resume on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, except in locations with additional local holidays. When in doubt, go by your city’s RBI holiday listing and your bank’s local circulars.
