India's equity benchmarks closed at record on Thursday and rose for the sixth consecutive session, aided by gains in banking, information technology, metal, power and realty stocks. The S&P BSE Sensex index rose 0.94% to 61.305.95, a record close for the 30-stock index. The 30-stock index hit a record 61,353.25 in intraday trade. The NSE Nifty 50 Index also advanced by a similar magnitude to close at 18,338.55, a record close for the index. The 50-stock gauge hit a record 18,350.75 in intraday trade.