For over 2,000 years, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) served as India's prime meridian — the city from which all Indian time was calculated. Ancient Indian astronomers called it Mahakaal — "the Great Time" or "Lord of Time." Even today, the Mahakaaleshwar Jyotirlinga (one of 12) here embodies the concept of time as divine.
The Surya Siddhanta (c. 400 CE), an ancient Indian astronomical text, calculated the solar year as 365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes, 36.56 seconds. The modern value is 365d 6h 9m 9.76s. That's an error of just 1 minute 26 seconds — computed 1,600 years ago without instruments.
India's official IST meridian runs through Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh (82°30′E) — but Ujjain (75°47′E) was the original. The gap is ~6° 43′ of longitude, or approximately 26 minutes 52 seconds of solar time. Ujjain time lags behind official IST by this margin.
In Sanskrit, Maha = great, Kaal = time/death. Shiva as Mahakaal represents the master of time — beyond time's reach, yet its ruler. The famous 4 AM Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaaleshwar Temple is one of India's most unique rituals: performed with sacred ash before dawn, it marks the transition between Brahma Muhurta and the regular day.
Paramanu (atom of time) → Truti (29.6 µs) → Tatpara → Nimesha (blink, ~0.2s) → Kashtha (1.6s) → Laghu (16s) → Ghati/Nadika (24 min) → Muhurta (48 min) → Prahara (3h) → Dina (day). The word "minute" as "small time" mirrors the Vedic concept of Anu-Kala.
Maharaja Jai Singh II built 5 Jantar Mantar observatories across India (Jaipur, Delhi, Mathura, Varanasi, Ujjain) in 1724–1735. The Jaipur Jantar Mantar's Samrat Yantra — the world's largest sundial — can calculate time to an accuracy of 2 seconds. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ancient India's water-clock unit. A copper bowl (Ghati) with a small hole was placed in a vessel of water — the time for it to sink once = 1 Ghati. 60 Ghatis = 1 day. The modern Hindi word ghadi (clock/watch) comes directly from this 3,000-year-old unit.
The most-used Vedic unit in daily Hindu life. Each of the 30 Muhurtas has a specific name, ruling deity, and quality. When a pandit says "this is a good muhurta" — he means this precise 48-minute window is cosmically auspicious for the intended activity. The word has entered English as "moment" via Persian.
Dopahar (दोपहर = noon) literally means "second Prahara" — and this 2,000-year-old word is in everyday modern Hindi. 4 daytime + 4 night Prahars. Each Prahar has a distinct mood, deity, and quality of consciousness. Brahma Muhurta falls in the first Prahar before sunrise.
The Pala is 1/60th of a Ghati — a subdivision rarely used in daily life but important in jyotish (Vedic astrology) calculations. 60 Palas = 1 Ghati = 24 minutes. 3,600 Palas = 1 day. The word pal (पल) in Hindi still means "a moment" in poetry and song.
Full Week — Rahu Kaal Schedule
Today: —
What is Rahu Kaal? A daily 90-minute inauspicious window ruled by Rahu (north lunar node). Traditional Hindus avoid starting any new activity — business launches, travel, marriages, signing contracts, new investments. Rahu Kaal is calculated by dividing daylight hours into 8 equal parts, so exact times vary by latitude and season. The times shown above are for central India (Delhi/Mumbai). Cities like Kolkata see these windows ~30 min earlier; Ahmedabad ~25 min later. See city-specific Rahu Kaal →
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. Bank managers' counters may close 30–60 min before branch closing time.
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 — these are treated as holidays under RBI's 5-day banking week guidelines. When a month has 5 Saturdays, that 5th Saturday is a working day.
1st Saturday · 3rd Saturday · 5th Saturday (if applicable)
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM IST · Limited services
2nd Saturday · 4th Saturday
Gazetted holiday for bank staff under Banking Regulations Act
UPI · IMPS · NEFT · RTGS · ATMs
24×7 including all holidays · Never closed
Cheque clearing: NEFT cleared 24×7. RTGS: 7:30 AM – 4:45 PM on working days. Cheques deposited on closed days are processed the next working day. Loan EMI deductions may still process on bank holidays via NACH mandate — keep sufficient balance always.
RBI Mandated Bank Holidays 2026 — National + Major State Observances
State-specific holidays: States like Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and others observe additional regional holidays (e.g. Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Onam in Kerala, Durga Puja in WB, Pongal in TN). These may apply to banks in those states even if they are working days nationally. Always check with your specific bank branch for local holiday schedules. The 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month are bank holidays across India regardless of state.
Today's Panchang — आज का पंचांग
Panchang (पंचांग) = "five limbs": Tithi (lunar day) · Vara (weekday) · Nakshatra (lunar mansion) · Yoga (Sun+Moon combined) · Karana (half-tithi). Values shown are algorithmically calculated approximations. For precise muhurta for marriages, business launches, or other important events, always consult a qualified jyotishi with your birth details.
Status calculated from your browser clock. Does not account for exchange-specific holidays. Dubai/ADX closed Friday–Saturday. NYSE/NASDAQ shift ±1h during US Daylight Saving Time (March–November).
Indian Standard Time (IST) is UTC+5:30 — the single time zone for all 1.4 billion Indians, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. India never observes DST, making IST one of the few permanent half-hour offset zones worldwide, alongside Iran (UTC+3:30) and Afghanistan (UTC+4:30).
Dubai: 1h 30m behind · Singapore: 2h 30m ahead · London (GMT): 5h 30m behind · New York (EST): 10h 30m behind · Tokyo: 3h 30m ahead · Sydney (AEST): 4h 30m–5h 30m ahead. IST never changes — a reliable anchor for global coordination.
IST covers Gujarat (68°E) to Arunachal Pradesh (97°E) — a 30° longitude span. Solar noon in Arunachal occurs ~2 hours before Gujarat. Assam sees sunrise at 5:00 AM while Gujarat sees it at 7:00 AM. Yet both show the same clock time.
Before 1906, India had 3 official times: Bombay Time (UTC+4:51), Calcutta Time (UTC+5:54), Madras Time (UTC+5:21). The British unified India to UTC+5:30 in 1906, using Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh (82°30′E) as the standard meridian — chosen as it bisected the subcontinent.
India briefly observed DST during WWII (1941–45) and abandoned it permanently. India's tropical latitude gives modest day-length variation (10.5–13.5 hours). Agriculture follows the sun, not the clock. A single timezone already creates enough east-west anomalies within the country.
IST's position is strategically ideal: Indian business hours (9 AM–6 PM IST) overlap with US East Coast afternoon, UK morning, and Gulf hours — the "golden overlap" that built India's $250B+ IT/BPO export industry. Over 5 million Indians work directly in timezone-dependent roles.
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 — IST is fixed year-round, unlike the UK, USA, and Europe which shift clocks seasonally.
Indian banks follow RBI guidelines: open Monday–Friday (10 AM–4 PM), plus 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays (10 AM–2 PM). Banks are closed on 2nd and 4th Saturdays, all Sundays, and all gazetted holidays (Republic Day, Holi, Good Friday, Independence Day, Diwali, Christmas, etc.). UPI, IMPS, ATMs, and internet banking are available 24×7 even on bank holidays.
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. Traditional practice avoids starting new activities during this period. Exact times vary ±15–30 min by city.
Mahakaal (महाकाल) literally means "Great Time" or "Lord of Time" — an aspect of Shiva as the master of temporal existence. Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) hosted the Mahakaaleshwar Jyotirlinga, one of 12 sacred Shiva shrines. More practically, Ujjain served as India's astronomical prime meridian for 2,000 years. The Surya Siddhanta calculated solar year to within 1 minute 26 seconds — extraordinary for its era.
NSE and BSE open for regular trading at 9:15 AM IST, Monday–Friday. Pre-open session: 9:00–9:15 AM. Market closes at 3:30 PM IST. MCX commodity futures trade until 11:30 PM. F&O expiry falls on the last Thursday of each month. Markets are closed on all national holidays declared by the exchanges.
IST is UTC+5:30 — 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of GMT/UTC. When it is 12:00 noon GMT, it is 5:30 PM in India. India permanently maintains this offset year-round with no seasonal changes. The IST reference meridian is 82°30′E, passing through Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.
Officially yes — all 28 states and 8 union territories use IST (UTC+5:30). But because India spans 30° of longitude, solar time varies by ~2 hours. Arunachal Pradesh sees sunrise at 5:00 AM while Gujarat sees it at 7:00 AM — same clock, very different solar experience. There have been historical proposals for a separate "India Daylight Time" for the northeast, but none have been implemented.
India has the world's highest average smartphone screen time — approximately 7.3 hours per day. YouTube (27 min avg daily), WhatsApp, Instagram Reels, and short-form video dominate. India is YouTube's largest market (500M+ users) and has over 650M WhatsApp users. The average Indian's evening phone session begins at approximately 8:30 PM IST and runs until midnight or later.