Shivaji Maharaj 2025: Bank Holidays Today & Tomorrow; Why Banks Are Sgut From Feb 19-20; Check City-Wise List

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti 2025: February 19 is auspicious in some cities of India due to the celebration of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Following this, the state of Maharashtra celebrates Shiv Jayanti as a public holiday on February 19th, so officially schools, institutions and government offices in the region are closed. But what about banks?

Bank Holiday Today:

As per RBI's holiday list for February 2025, banks are closed in some regions of India on February 19th due to the celebration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti. Cities in which banks are closed are Belapur, Mumbai, and Nagpur.

That being said, banks are open in other cities such as Ahmedabad, Agartala, Aizawl, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Gangtok, Guwahati, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kohima, Kolkata, Lucknow, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Shiv Jayanti, also known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj festival, is a festival and public holiday in the Indian state of Maharashtra. This festival is celebrated on February 19, celebrating the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj, the first Chhatrapati of the Marathas. He established Hindavi Swarajya (Hindavī Svarājya; "Self-Rule of the Hindavi people"). Some people celebrate this day as per the Hindu Calendar in Maharashtra, as per Wikipedia.

Bank Holiday Tomorrow:

However, notably, banks are also closed on February 20, 2025 due to Statehood Day/State Day. That being said, banks will be shut down in cities like Itanagar and Aizawl. They will be open in other cities.

What is Statehood Day? This day is celebrated to mark the formation of a state, or other significant events which is related to its statehood.

Bank holidays listed for February 2025 month are under two categories Negotiable Instruments Act, and Banks' Closing of Accounts by RBI. Overall, there are 8 special holidays for banks this month excluding second and fourth Saturdays and all Sundays.

Notably, bank holidays vary from state to state, so not all banks need to be closed on public holidays across India. But on national holidays like Independence Day, Republic Day, or Gandhi Jayanti, all banks are compulsorily closed across India irrespective of state or city. National holidays are generally fixed and practised by every state.

It is RBI that decides the holidays of Indian banks. Apart from second and fourth Saturdays, RBI identifies special occasions as holidays under three categories namely - Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act; Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holidays; and Banks' Closing of Accounts. These special holidays are in most cases public holidays and national holidays.

Also, as per the RBI guidelines, banks will be closed on two Saturdays of a month and open on the rest of the Saturdays of the same month. In case, there are five Saturdays in a month, then banks will be opened on three Saturdays.