India observes a rich calendar of public holidays drawn from its diverse religious traditions, national history, and regional cultures. We currently have public holidays for 2026 listed for all 28 states and 8 Union Territories. Scroll down to view the national holidays list or choose your state from the list below.
The Government of India classifies official holidays into three categories. National Holidays are observed across the entire country and are mandatory for all central and state government offices, banks, and most businesses. There are three national holidays: Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15), and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2). Gazetted Holidays (also called Public Holidays) are announced officially in the Government Gazette and are observed by central government offices. Employees are entitled to take the day off. Restricted Holidays are optional leaves — employees may choose up to two restricted holidays from a list of approved festivals, based on their personal religious or cultural preference.
Each state government independently notifies its own list of gazetted and restricted holidays each year, in addition to the three national holidays. This is why a festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu — such as Pongal or Tamil New Year (Puthandu) — may not be a holiday in Delhi or Maharashtra. States with large populations of a particular religious community typically gazette the major festivals of that community as public holidays. For example, Eid-ul-Fitr, Diwali, Christmas, Good Friday, Guru Nanak Jayanti, and Mahavir Jayanti are generally observed across most states. Banks follow the holiday list published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which may differ slightly from state government lists.
Key holidays celebrated widely in 2026 include Pongal / Makar Sankranti (January), Republic Day (January 26), Maha Shivaratri (February/March), Holi (March), Good Friday (March/April), Tamil New Year – Puthandu (April 14), Eid-ul-Fitr (dates vary by moon sighting), Buddha Purnima (May), Independence Day (August 15), Onam (August/September), Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), Dussehra/Vijayadasami (October), Diwali (October/November), Guru Nanak Jayanti (November), and Christmas (December 25).
