1,938.55; Hero Honda, down 3.02 percent at Rs.1,683.25; ONGC, down 2.8 percent at Rs.1,094.65; and HDFC, down 1.92 percent at Rs.2,365.75.

Data with the market watchdog, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), showed foreign funds were net buyers, lapping up scrips worth a little over $217.2 million.

In other Asian markets, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, gained 144.11 points to grow to its six-week high at 10,088.66 points on hopes that companies would post better earnings reports.

The Hang Seng, the primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, also rose smartly to 20,251.62 points, up 268.83 points.

In the European markets, the FTSE of Britain was ruling firmly in the green at 4,599.47 points, up 22.86 points.

Its French peer CAC 40 was ruling 30.72 points higher at 3,397.17 points.

Aping major Asian and European indices, futures of key US market indices were ruling in the green with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard and Poor's 500 and the Nasdaq futures rising.