By Monica Chadha BBC correspondent in Delhi

Most of the dancers were professional or trained

Thirty couples took part in the dance party at a sports stadium in the heart of the city. A stage was set up for the official participants while the rest of the place was left open for other people to join in.

Ten of the city's top DJs were also brought in to keep the participants on their feet, while a computer set up near the DJs' console kept track of time.

Most of the dancers were professional or trained and had been chosen after a thorough medical check up. But it seemed like almost half the city turned up at the venue to participate in the record-breaking attempt.

At one point, the police used batons to disperse the crowd. Most of them, even the ones with legitimate passes, had to be turned away due to lack of space.

Wait for verification

One of the main organisers of the party, Mona Bhattacharya, told the BBC the response had been far better than she had imagined.

I am here because this is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, something I can be proud of for the rest of my life Vikram Verma

She said the entire party had been recorded on tape which will be sent to the Guinness Book authorities for approval.

"We were given a whole set of guidelines regarding the dancers, their steps, the music, all of which we followed thoroughly. We must now wait for them to verify whether we have broken the record or not," she told BBC News Online.

'My body hurt'

The previous record was set in Cleveland, United States, in 2002 when people danced non-stop for 52 hours and three minutes.

Cleveland broke the record set in the town of Gurgaon, on the outskirts of Delhi, in 1999 when a dance party organised by an international music channel went on for 50 hours.

Guinness guidelines state that 15 couples should be on the dance floor at any point in time during the party and 75% of the number of dancers that first came on the floor should be dancing when the party ends.

The dancers are also allowed a break for 10 minutes after every hour, and 15 minutes after every eight hours.

Towards the end, most of the participants were tired and barely moved on the floor. However, none of them got off the stage.

Vidya Tiwari, 18, said: "I was exhausted and my body hurt but I was here to break the record and did not stop till I had achieved it."

Popular record

Another dancer, Vikram Verma, said: "I am here because this is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, something I can be proud of for the rest of my life."

It is now up to the Guinness authorities to determine whether they have managed to dance their way in to the record book or not.

Kate White, Guinness World Records spokeswoman, said there were many attempts at the dance record.

Verifiers would wait for evidence to come in before making a decision on the attempt, in a process that could take about eight weeks, she said.