Madonna rings in New Year in India: reports

Posted 01 2 2008 8:54PM

NEW DELHI (AFP) - US pop icon Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie rang in the New Year in a remote village in the northern Indian desert state of Rajasthan, reports said Tuesday.

The 49-year-old singer, her husband and five friends drove to a heritage hotel in Dechu village soon after reaching the historic city of Jodhpur from the Maldives by chartered plane, the Hindustan Times said.

The world's top earning female singer was supposed to travel on Tuesday to Jaisalmer, famous for its sprawling sandstone fort and undulating sand dunes, the reports said.

Rajasthan, known for its opulent palaces and magnificent forts, is popular among Western celebrities who come to see the state's royal heritage.

Last March British actress Elizabeth Hurley wed Indian businessman Arun Nayar in a traditional Indian-style wedding at an ancient palace in Jodhpur.

"The pop star will be in Rajasthan for five to six days," the Hindustan Times said, quoting unnamed sources.

Madonna, who lives in London, was also likely to visit Udaipur which features a series of stunning lake palaces.

Her personal security guards arrived in Jodhpur three days ago and tight security was in place at the hotels and areas she was likely to visit during her stay, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The trip comes days after British newspapers reported that Madonna was to be granted full custody of her adopted son David from Malawi following a glowing social worker's report that described the star as "a perfect mum."

The singer has a daughter Lourdes, 11, by fitness trainer Carlos Leon and seven-year-old son Rocco with Ritchie. She is now looking to adopt a daughter from Cambodia, British newspapers say.