Glasgow:
The Queen's Baton for Commonwealth Games was officially passed to Glasgow, which will host 20th edition of the quadrennial event, at a glittering 1.8 million pound ceremony, marking the closure of the Delhi mega-event.
Scotland's largest city took centre stage as it prepares to host the event in less than four years after India dazzled and charmed for 12 days of competition, said a report.
Glasgow began the final lap of what Organising Committee Chief Executive John Scott described as "incredible journey" that will end with the opening ceremony on July 23, 2014.
Record-breaking, quadruple shooting gold medallist Jonathan Hammond, from Banchory in Aberdeenshire, carried a saltire in the closing ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Thursday night.
The eight-minute handover ceremony showcased elements of Scotland's past and present, including a video of Glasgow landmarks and the beauty of rural Scotland.
The cast of 352 performers, aged between 18 and 59 years, was drawn from across the nation.
Many of them had given up holidays or taken unpaid leave to rehearse, preparing at a three-week boot camp led by US-based choreographer Steve Boyd, who worked on the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympics, it added.
Glasgow's Lord Provost Bob Winter, who was presented with the flag, said he was "immensely proud to have played a role in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow".
"I have great pride in the cast and crew, who have all worked so hard over the last few months to put on this stylish performance on a world stage.
"We have always said we wanted Glasgow 2014 to be the best Commonwealth Games ever," said Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond.