Currently on IST (UTC+5:30). No clock changes are scheduled in the time zone database.
IST, India Standard Time, is UTC+5:30 and applies across the whole of India all year. India does not use daylight saving time, so the clock above always shows UTC+5:30.
Why UTC+5:30?
IST is based on the 82.5° E meridian, which runs near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh. Because 82.5 is not a multiple of 15, the offset falls on a half hour rather than a whole one. A single time zone keeps things simple across the country, but India is wide: the sun rises around two hours earlier in the north-east than in the far west.
IST compared with other countries
Because India never changes its clocks, its gap with other countries changes only when they change theirs. India is 5½ hours ahead of London in winter and 4½ hours ahead during British Summer Time. It is 10½ hours ahead of New York in winter and 9½ in summer. Sri Lanka also uses UTC+5:30. Nepal is 15 minutes ahead of India (UTC+5:45), and Pakistan is 30 minutes behind (UTC+5).
Three different ISTs
- India Standard Time: UTC+5:30, all year.
- Irish Standard Time: UTC+1, Ireland's legal name for its summer time.
- Israel Standard Time: UTC+2, Israel's winter time (summer is IDT, UTC+3).
If an email from Dublin or Tel Aviv says "IST", it almost certainly does not mean India. Use the city name or the UTC offset to be sure.
Related: time in India · London and Mumbai time difference