India has 3 national holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti) that all states observe. The remaining holidays are gazetted holidays chosen from a list by each state. Different states may observe 15-20+ holidays. Religious holidays like Diwali, Eid, Holi, and Christmas are widely observed but dates vary as many follow lunar calendars.
India's holiday calendar is unusually complex because national holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti) are observed everywhere, while the majority of religious and regional holidays are set by individual state governments. A holiday observed in Maharashtra may not apply in Tamil Nadu, and vice versa. Businesses operating nationally typically build separate holiday calendars per state, or default to a combined calendar that only counts the three mandatory national holidays plus locally relevant regional ones.
See how holidays affect each month's working day count:
Are Indian public holidays the same across all states?
No. Only three holidays — Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti — are mandatory nationwide. The rest are set at the state level and vary significantly by region.
Why do Indian holiday counts vary so much by source?
Because most Indian holidays are regional rather than national, the total holiday count depends heavily on which state's calendar is being used — this is the most common source of confusion for multi-state businesses.
Does Diwali fall on the same date every year in India?
No, Diwali follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so its Gregorian date shifts from year to year, typically falling between mid-October and mid-November.
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