| City | Local Time | Difference from IST | Offset |
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Bars show hours behind (blue, left of centre) or ahead (saffron, right of centre) of IST. India does not observe Daylight Saving Time, so these offsets are stable except where the listed city itself shifts for its own DST.
India's ancient time system, calculated live. Long before clocks, Indian astronomers divided each day into Ghatis, Muhurtas, and Praharas — units still referenced in Hindu ritual and the Hindi language itself (the word ghadi, meaning "clock," comes directly from Ghati).
For over 2,000 years, the city of Ujjain (75°47′E) served as the reference meridian for all Indian astronomical calculation — the "Lord of Time," Mahakaal, embodied in the Mahakaaleshwar Jyotirlinga. The Surya Siddhanta (c. 400 CE) calculated the solar year to within 1 minute 26 seconds of the modern value — without telescopes or instruments. Read the full story in our History of Time in India and Prime Meridian & India articles.
Full Week — Rahu Kaal Schedule
Today: —
Times shown are approximate for central India (Delhi/Mumbai), calculated by dividing daylight into 8 equal parts. Cities further east (Kolkata) see Rahu Kaal earlier; cities further west (Ahmedabad) see it later. For the full explanation, city-wise tables, and the mythology behind Rahu Kaal, see our complete Rahu Kaal guide.
Standard hours: Public sector banks operate 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM IST, Monday to Friday. Most private banks open at 9:30 AM and close at 4:30–5:00 PM.
Saturday working — RBI Rule: Banks are open on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays of each month (half-day: 10 AM – 2 PM). Banks are closed on 2nd and 4th Saturdays.
1st, 3rd, 5th Saturday (if applicable) · 10 AM – 2 PM, limited services.
2nd & 4th Saturday — gazetted holiday for bank staff.
UPI · IMPS · NEFT · RTGS · ATMs — 24×7 including all holidays.
Cheque clearing: NEFT 24×7. RTGS: 7:30 AM – 4:45 PM on working days. Loan EMIs (NACH) may still process on bank holidays — keep sufficient balance.
RBI Mandated Bank Holidays 2026
State-specific holidays: Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and other states observe additional regional holidays. The 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month are bank holidays across India regardless of state.
Today's Panchang — आज का पंचांग
Panchang = "five limbs": Tithi (lunar day) · Vara (weekday) · Nakshatra (lunar mansion) · Yoga (Sun+Moon combined) · Karana (half-tithi). Values are algorithmic approximations — for marriages or major decisions consult a qualified jyotishi.
Status calculated from your browser clock and does not account for exchange-specific holidays. Dubai/ADX closed Friday–Saturday. NYSE/NASDAQ shift ±1h during US Daylight Saving Time.
IST (UTC+5:30) is the single time zone for all 1.4 billion Indians. India never observes DST — one of few permanent half-hour offset zones worldwide, alongside Iran and Afghanistan.
Dubai: 1h30m behind · Singapore: 2h30m ahead · London: 5h30m behind (winter) · New York: 10h30m behind (winter) · Tokyo: 3h30m ahead · Sydney: 4h30m–5h30m ahead.
IST covers Gujarat (68°E) to Arunachal Pradesh (97°E) — a 30° span. Assam sees sunrise at 5 AM while Gujarat sees it at 7 AM, yet both show the same clock time.
Before 1906, India had three official times: Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras Time. The British unified India to UTC+5:30 using Mirzapur, UP (82°30′E) as the standard meridian. Read the full history →
India briefly observed DST during WWII and abandoned it permanently. Its tropical latitude gives modest day-length variation (10.5–13.5 hours).
IST overlaps with the US East Coast afternoon, UK morning, and Gulf hours — the overlap that helped build India's $250B+ IT/BPO export industry.
India runs on Indian Standard Time (IST), UTC+5:30. The live clock at the top of this page shows the exact current time, updated every second. India does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Indian banks follow RBI guidelines: open Mon–Fri (10 AM–4 PM), plus 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays (10 AM–2 PM). Closed on 2nd and 4th Saturdays, Sundays, and gazetted holidays. UPI, IMPS, ATMs, and internet banking are available 24×7.
Rahu Kaal for central India: Mon 7:30–9 AM · Tue 3–4:30 PM · Wed 12–1:30 PM · Thu 1:30–3 PM · Fri 10:30 AM–12 PM · Sat 9–10:30 AM · Sun 4:30–6 PM. Exact times vary ±15–30 min by city — see our full Rahu Kaal guide.
Mahakaal (महाकाल) means "Great Time" — an aspect of Shiva as master of temporal existence. Ujjain served as India's astronomical prime meridian for 2,000 years. Read more in our Prime Meridian & India article.
NSE and BSE open for regular trading at 9:15 AM IST, Mon–Fri. Pre-open: 9:00–9:15 AM. Market closes at 3:30 PM IST. See our market timings guide.
IST is UTC+5:30 — 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of GMT/UTC. India permanently maintains this offset with no seasonal changes.
Officially yes — all states use IST. But India spans 30° of longitude, so solar time varies by ~2 hours. Arunachal Pradesh sees sunrise at 5 AM while Gujarat sees it at 7 AM.
India has the world's highest average smartphone screen time — approximately 7.3 hours per day, driven by YouTube, WhatsApp, and short-form video.