Question 1

What is the current time in India right now?

Accepted Answer

The current time in India is IST (UTC+5:30). The live clock at the top of the page shows the exact time including seconds, synced to the National Physical Laboratory's atomic clocks.

Question 2

Why does India have only one time zone when it spans so much longitude?

Accepted Answer

India spans about 29° of longitude, roughly two hours of solar difference. The single zone was adopted in 1906 based on the 82.5°E meridian passing through Mirzapur. Multiple proposals for a second zone have been rejected. The country remains on one time.

Question 3

Do any Indian cities observe daylight saving time?

Accepted Answer

No. India does not observe daylight saving time in 2026 or 2027. The offset stays at five and a half hours ahead of UTC year-round. The only DST in India's history was a brief wartime measure in 1942-1945 under British rule.

Question 4

Is the time in Sri Lanka the same as in India?

Accepted Answer

Sri Lanka uses Sri Lanka Standard Time (SLST), which is also UTC+5:30. The clocks show the same time, but they are separate legal standards maintained by different national laboratories.

Question 5

What is "Chaibagan Time" in Assam?

Accepted Answer

Chaibagan Time is an unofficial UTC+6:30 offset used by some tea gardens in Assam to make better use of early daylight. It is not legally recognised. Official time everywhere in India is IST at UTC+5:30.

Question 6

Which city has the earliest sunrise in India?

Accepted Answer

Dong, in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, sees the earliest sunrise in India. In June, the sun can rise as early as 04:00 IST. The clock still shows IST. For sunrise and sunset times in northeast cities, see the sunrise-sunset-northeast-india page. ## Converting Indian city times to other zones For the current time in a specific city, use the city pages linked above. To convert IST to any other time zone, use the time zone converters. For a full explanation of why India uses one zone, read the India one time zone explained article.

Current Time in Cities on IST — Page 3

Current time in 60 cities