Public Holidays in India, also known as Government Holidays, consist of a variety of cultural, nationalistic, and religious holidays that are legislated in India at the union or state levels.
Being a culturally diverse country, there are many festivals celebrated in various regions across the country. There are only three national holidays declared by the Government of India: Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 October). Apart from this, certain holidays which are celebrated nationally are declared centrally by the Union Government. Additionally, various state governments and union territories designate additional holidays on local festivals or days of importance as holidays as per section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
National holidays
National holidays are mandatory holidays declared by the Government of India which is applicable for all states and union territories of India.
DateNameTypeDetailsRepublic DayFixed (Indian Constitution came into force)Celebrates the 1950 adoption of the Constitution of IndiaIndependence DayFixed (India Independence from the United Kingdom)Celebrates the 1947 Independence from the British ruleGandhi JayantiFixed (India; birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi)Honors Mahatma Gandhi, who was born on 2 October 1869
Central holidays
In addition to the three fixed national holidays, the Union Government of India declares additional days as holidays which are largely followed by central government offices and affiliates. In addition to designated fixed holidays, few other days are designated optional from which select number of days can be chosen according to individual convenience.
Fixed Source:
NameTypeDetailsChristmas DayFixedChristian festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, central figure of Christianity (c. 6 to 4BC–30 or 33AD) whose birth is commemorated on 25 December12 Rabi' al-awwalMawlidMuslim festival that celebrates the birth of Muhammad. It is celebrated in Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.1 ShawwalEid al-FitrMuslim festival that celebrates of the day of breaking the fast. It is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar.10 MuharramAshuraMuslims mourn the martydom of Husayn Ibn Ali, prophet Muhammad's family. Also marks parting of the Red Sea by Moses, salvation of the Israelites, Noah's disembarkment from the Ark.10 Dhu al-HijjahEid al-AdhaMuslim festival that honours the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, either Isaac or Ismail, as an act of obedience to God.Mahavir Janma KalyanakFloatingJain festival that celebrates the birth of Mahavira (599 BC), the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara (supreme preacher) of present AvasarpiṇīGood FridayChristian festival that commemorates the crucifixion of JesusBuddha's BirthdayBuddhist festival that celebrates Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism (c. 563–483 BC). It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Vaisakha month of the Buddhist calendar.VijayadashamiHindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated on the tenth day of Ashvin, the seventh month in the Hindu Calendar Sikh festival called Dasehara.DiwaliHindu festival of lights. It is celebrated on the new moon day in the month of Ashvin or Kartika in the Hindu Calendar Sikh festival to celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas in remembrance of the release of Guru Hargobind from the Gwalior Fort prison by the Mughal emperor Jahangir and the day he arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.Guru Nanak's BirthdaySikh festival that celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, (1469).
Optional Source:
NameTypeDetailsMakar Sankranti / PongalFloatingHindu festival marking the transition of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn and dedicated to the solar deity Surya.Vasant PanchamiHindu festival dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring and celebrated on the fifth day of Magha, the eleventh month of Hindu calendarMaha ShivaratriHindu festival to celebrate the wedding of Lord Shiva with Parvati, celebrated on the fourteenth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Phalguna or Magha in the Hindu calendarNowruzCelebrates the beginning of the Persian New YearHoliHindu festival of colors to celebrate the victory of good over evil (Specifically the death of the evil Holika, aunt of Prahlad, an ardent devotee of Vishnu) and arrival of spring, celebrated on full-moon day in the month of Phalguna in the Hindu calendar Sikh festival to celebrate with its historic texts referring to it as Hola. Guru Gobind Singh in addition to Holi created a three-day Hola Mohalla extension festival of martial arts. The extension started the day after the Holi festival in Anandpur Sahib, where Sikh soldiers would train in battles, compete in horsemanship, athletics, archery and military exercises.Rama NavamiHindu festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama celebrated on the ninth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendarUgadiCelebrates the beginning of the Telugu and Kannada New YearCheti ChandCelebrates the beginning of the Sindhi New YearPuthanduTamil festival It is the first day of the Tamil calendar and celebrates the beginning of the new year in Tamil Nadu. It is also celebrates the agrarian people and harvest on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai.VishuCelebrates the beginning of the Malayali New YearVaisakhiSikh festival celebrates the beginning of the Solar new year in North India and spring harvest on the first day of the month of Vaisakh in the Punjabi calendarBohag Bihu/Pohela BoishakhCelebrates the beginning of the Assamese New Year and Bengali New YearGudi PadwaCelebrates the beginning of the Marathi and Konkani New YearRatha YatraHindu festival involving a public procession of chariots with the deities Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra celebrated in Ashadha month of Hindu calendar Krishna JanmashtamiHindu festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna and celebrated on eighth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravana in the Hindu calendarGanesh ChaturthiHindu festival as a tribute to Lord Ganesha, celebrated on the fourth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendarOnamHindu harvest festival celebrated by the people of Kerala commemorating the visit of Mahabali and celebrated in Chingam, the first month of Malayalam CalendarNavaratriHindu festival celebrating the first day of the Hindu Vikram Samvat calendar ChhathHindu harvest festival dedicated to Sun God Surya, celebrated in North and East India on the sixth day of the month of KartikaKarva ChauthHindu festival celebrated by women to pray for the longevity of their husbands, observed on the fourth day after the full moon in the month of Kartika Each year, central and state governments release lists of gazetted and restricted holidays. Comprehensive compiled lists are available online.
State holidays In addition to the above, various state governments and union territories designate additional holidays on local festivals or days of importance as holidays as per section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
Harvest festivals +State holidays:Harvest festivalsNameTypeState/UTBhogiFixedAndhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, TelanganaLohriFloatingPunjabMagh BihuFixedAssamMaghiHaryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, PunjabChapchar KutMizoramWangalaFloatingAssam, Meghalaya, NagalandKati BihuAssam
New year +State holidays:New year's daysNameState/UTBohag BihuAssamGudi PadwaDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, MaharashtraLosoongSikkimLosarLadakhNew Year's DayArunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana New Year's EveManipurPana SankrantiOdishaParsi New YearDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, MaharashtraPohela BoishakhTripura, West BengalPuthanduTamil Nadu, PuducherrySarhulJharkhandSajibu Nongma PanbaManipurUgadiAndhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana VaisakhiJharkhand, PunjabVishuKeralaDiwaliGujarat, Rajasthan, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
State days +State holidays:State daysNameState/UTAndhra Pradesh DayAndhra PradeshArunachal Pradesh Statehood DayArunachal PradeshAsom DayAssamBihar DayBiharChhattisgarh RajyotsavaChhattisgarhGoa Liberation DayGoaGujarat DayGujaratHaryana DayHaryanaHimachal DayHimachal PradeshWest Bengal DayWest BengalJammu and Kashmir Accession DayJammu and KashmirKannada RajyothsavaKarnatakaKerala DayKeralaMaharashtra DayMaharashtraMizoram State DayMizoramNagaland State Inauguration DayNagalandOdisha DayOdishaPuducherry De Jure Transfer DayPuducherryPuducherry Liberation DayPuducherrySikkim State DaySikkimTelangana Formation DayTelanganaHyderabad-Karnataka Liberation DayKarnataka
Birth and anniversary days +State holidays:Birth and anniversary daysNameState/UTAmbedkar Jayanti IndiaBuddha's Birthday IndiaGandhi Jayanti IndiaBabu Jag Jivan Ram's BirthdayBiharMannathu padmanabhan's BirthdayKeralaBasava JayantiKarnatakaBhanu JayantiSikkimChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj JayantiMaharashtraGuru Ghasidas JayantiChandigarhGuru Ravidass JayantiChandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, PunjabHeroes' Martyrdom DayHaryanaJanmotsavAssamKabir JayantiChandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab Kanakadasa JayanthiKarnatakaKazi Nazrul Islam JayantiTripuraMaharaja Agrasen JayantiHaryanaMaharaja Hari Singh Ji's BirthdayJammu and KashmirMaharana Pratap JayantiRajasthanMartyrs' DayJharkhandNetaji's BirthdayOdisha, Tripura, West BengalPa Togan SangmaMeghalayaRabindranath Tagore's BirthdayWest BengalRamdev JayantiRajasthanShaheedi DiwasPunjabSardar Vallabhbhai Patel's BirthdayGujaratShaheed Udham Singh JayantiHaryanaShaheed Udham Singh Martyrdom dayHaryanaSree Narayana Guru JayanthiKeralaSree Narayana Guru SamadhiKeralaSwami Vivekananda's BirthdayWest BengalThiruvalluvar DayTamil NaduU Soso Tham Death AnniversaryMeghalayaU Kiang NangbahMeghalayaU Tirot Sing DayMeghalaya
Religious days