The oldest stock exchange in India, the Bombay Stock Exchange was established in 1875 as the Native Share and Stock Brokers Association at Dalal Street [Get Quote] in Mumbai. A lot has changed since then when 318 persons became members upon paying Re 1.

In 1956, the BSE obtained permanent recognition from the Government of India -- the first stock exchange to do so -- under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.

The Sensex, first compiled in 1986, is a 'Market Capitalisation-Weighted' Index of 30 component stocks representing a sample of large and financially sound companies. The BSE-Sensex is the benchmark index of the Indian capital markets.

The BSE Sensex comprises these 30 stocks: ACC, Bajaj, Bharti, BHEL, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, GACL, Grasim [Get Quote], HDFC [Get Quote], HDFC Bank, Hero Honda, Hindalco [Get Quote], HLL [Get Quote], ICICI Bank [Get Quote], Infosys [Get Quote], ITC, L&T, Maruti [Get Quote], NTPC, ONGC [Get Quote], Ranbaxy [Get Quote], Reliance, Reliance Energy [Get Quote], Satyam [Get Quote], SBI [Get Quote], Tata Motors [Get Quote], Tata Power [Get Quote], TCS [Get Quote], Tisco [Get Quote] and Wipro [Get Quote].

The Sensex scaled a new high as it breached the historic 8,000 mark within minutes after the trading session commenced on Thursday.

Here's a timeline on the rise and rise of the Sensex through Indian stock market history.

The 1000-mark

On July 25 1990, the Sensex touched the magical four-digit figure for the first time and closed at 1,001 in the wake of a good monsoon and excellent corporate results.

The 2000-mark

On January 15, 1992, the Sensex crossed the 2,000-mark and closed at 2,020 followed by the liberal economic policy initiatives undertaken by the then finance minister and current Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

The 3000-mark

On February 29, 1992, the Sensex surged past the 3000 mark in the wake of the market-friendly Budget announced by the then Finance Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.

The 4000-mark

On March 30, 1992, the Sensex crossed the 4,000-mark and closed at 4,091 on the expectations of a liberal export-import policy. It was then that the Harshad Mehta scam hit the markets and Sensex witnessed unabated selling.

The 5000-mark

On October 8, 1999, the Sensex crossed the 5,000-mark as the BJP-led coalition won the majority in the 13th Lok Sabha election.

The 6000-mark

On February 11, 2000, the infotech boom helped the Sensex to cross the 6,000-mark and hit and all time high of 6,006.

The 7000-mark

On June 20, 2005, the news of the settlement between the Ambani brothers boosted investor sentiments and the scrips of RIL [Get Quote], Reliance Energy, Reliance Capital [Get Quote] and IPCL [Get Quote] made huge gains. This helped the Sensex crossed 7,000 points for the first time.

The 8000-mark

The Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark 30-share index -- the Sensex -- crossed the 8000 level following brisk buying by foreign and domestic funds in early trading.