Tamil Nadu banks to stay closed for 4 days this January
If you're in Tamil Nadu, banks will be shut from January 15 to 17, 2026—thanks to Pongal and a string of local holidays.
These bank holidays are typically notified by the state government under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
So if you need to hit the bank, plan around Pongal on Jan 15, Thiruvalluvar Day on Jan 16, and Uzhavar Thirunal on Jan 17.
What's the deal with Pongal?
Pongal is a big harvest festival in Tamil Nadu. It begins with Bhogi, followed by the cooking of sweet rice-lentil pongal in clay pots as an offering to the Sun god on Thai Pongal.
The next day is a state holiday honoring legendary poet Thiruvalluvar, while farmers celebrate Uzhavar Thirunal on the following day.
Not just Tamil Nadu—other states join in too
January is packed with regional holidays across India:
West Bengal marks Swami Vivekananda's birthday on Jan 12;
Gujarat, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam have Makar Sankranti or Magh Bihu on Jan 14;
then Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Sikkim celebrate Sankranti/Pongal on Jan 15.