Equity benchmarks began the trade on a positive note on Thursday, tracking a firm trend in global markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 124.35 points to 61,634.93 in early trade. The broader NSE Nifty gained 38 points to 18,305.25.

The BSE benchmark later quoted 248.22 points higher at 61,760.67 and the Nifty traded 75 points up at 18,342.25.

From the Sensex pack, HDFC Bank, HDFC, HCL Technologies, Power Grid, Mahindra & Mahindra, IndusInd Bank and Bajaj Finance were among the major winners.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tata Steel and Bharti Airtel were the laggards.

Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong were trading in the green, while Shanghai quoted lower.

Wall Street had ended higher on Wednesday.

The BSE benchmark had climbed 91.62 points or 0.15 per cent to settle at 61,510.58 on Wednesday. The Nifty gained 23.05 points or 0.13 per cent to end at 18,267.25.

International oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.23 per cent lower at USD 85.24 per barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded shares worth Rs 789.86 crore on Wednesday, as per exchange data.