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During the festive season, if you are planning to go to the bank branch today for check clearance, getting a draft made, depositing cash or updating the passbook, then before leaving the house it is mandatory to know whether the banks are open or closed in your city or state today. According to the official holiday calendar of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), today i.e. Wednesday, October 21, 2026, has been declared a public holiday for banks in many states of the country. Although in most of the states of North and Central India (like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh) the main festival of Vijayadashami (Dussehra) has been celebrated on 20th October and banks are open normally there, but in Eastern and North-East India and some southern states, banks will remain locked today due to the calendar calculation, sunrise date and tradition of Durga Puja immersion (Dashain/Bijoya Dashami). RBI releases the advance list of holidays for every month under the Negotiable Instruments Act. Under this, state-wise holidays are decided on the basis of regional festivals and local beliefs. In such a situation, it would be wise to check the complete list of affected cities and states before going to the bank. In which states banks will remain closed today on 21st October? According to the official notification of RBI, all branches of banks will remain closed today in the following states and their major banking centers on account of Vijayadashami, Durga Puja (Dashain), Maha Dashami and the second phase of Ayudha Puja: West Bengal (Kolkata): Durga Puja in Bengal concludes with ‘Bijoya Dashami’ and idol immersion with Sindoor Khela, due to which today is a bank holiday in the entire state. Tripura (Agartala): Banks will remain closed in Tripura due to the main immersion festival of Durga Puja. Assam (Guwahati): Due to Maha Dashami and Vijayadashami festival, holiday has been declared in bank branches in Assam. Sikkim (Gangtok): The biggest festival of Nepali community ‘Durga Puja/Dasain’ has started in Sikkim. There will be continuous bank holidays till 21st, 22nd and 23rd October. Karnataka (Bengaluru): Bank holiday has been declared in Karnataka today as part of Mysuru Dussehra and Vijayadashami traditions. Kerala (Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram): Banks will remain completely closed in Kerala today on the auspicious occasion of Vidyarambham and Vijayadashami. Meghalaya (Shillong): In Meghalaya too, bank branches will remain closed on the concluding day of Durga Puja. Are banks open or closed today in UP, Delhi, Bihar and Mumbai? It is clear for the customers of states like Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi), Delhi-NCR, Bihar (Patna), Maharashtra (Mumbai), Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab that there is no public holiday for banks here today. In these states, the festival of Dussehra (Vijayadashami) was celebrated yesterday i.e. on 20th October and banks were closed on the same day. Today on Wednesday, branches of all government and private banks including State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of Baroda (BOB), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank will open at their normal timings in all these areas and daily work will run smoothly. Why has RBI given holiday on 21st October? Understand the mathematics of Panchang and Dashami Tithi: This question arises in the minds of many customers that when Dussehra has passed in large parts of the country yesterday, then why banks are closed in some states today. According to religious and calendar beliefs, this year Ashwin Shukla Dashami Tithi starts from the afternoon of 20th October till the afternoon of 21st October. In North India, there is a tradition of performing Dussehra puja in ‘Aparahna Kaal’ (afternoon), which fell on 20 October. Whereas in the states of Bengal, Assam, Odisha and North-East, the festival is celebrated according to ‘Udaya Tithi’ (the date present at the time of sunrise). Since Dashami tithi is active at sunrise of October 21, Bijoya Dashami is being celebrated today in Bengal and the Northeast. Apart from this, in South India (Karnataka and Kerala), the main puja of Vidyarambham and Vijayadashami is being performed today on 21st October under the traditional temple calendar. Based on these local beliefs and the demand of the state governments, RBI has notified bank holiday on October 21 in these states. These digital services will continue to operate even if bank branches are closed. Even in the states where banks are closed today, there is no need for customers to worry about financial transactions. Despite physical branches of banks being closed, modern digital banking facilities will remain operational 24×7 without any interruption: ATM Services (ATM Cash Withdrawal): ATMs and cash recycler machines of all major banks will remain fully operational from where you can withdraw or deposit cash. UPI and Mobile Banking (UPI & Mobile Apps): The facility to transfer money or pay shopping bills through Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm and bank’s authorized apps (like YONO SBI, PNB ONE) will continue to work as usual. Net Banking: Online fund transfer through NEFT, RTGS and IMPS will be available 24 hours. Which tasks will be affected: Only those tasks will be affected for which personal presence at the bank branch is mandatory—like going to the counter to clear a cheque, getting a government draft made, operating a locker or getting direct KYC verification done. All these tasks can be completed only on the next normal working day.