Celebrities, major Democratic fundraisers and prominent Indian businessmen were among those scoring coveted invitations to President Barack Obama's first state dinner.

Most of the names on the 338-person White House guest list for Tuesday night's black-tie fete honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remained a closely guarded secret until shortly before the dinner. The event was considered the hottest ticket in Washington since Inauguration Day.

"Tonight under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership, the bonds of friendship between our people," Obama told guests, who feasted on a mostly vegetarian meal of curry prawns, aged basmati rice, eggplant salad, lentil soup, potato dumplings and other delicacies served under a giant tent on the South Lawn.

The crowd included a mix of prominent figures in U.S. and Indian politics, business and entertainment.

Democratic fundraisers and donors on the guest list included:

_ Hollywood executives Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg, prolific Democratic donors who have hosted fundraisers for Obama and the Democratic Party. Spielberg is on his way to becoming a Washington regular. The Oscar-winning producer-director, a $50,000 inaugural donor, had a spot on the platform for Obama's swearing-in ceremony in January and attended the White House Correspondents' Association dinner headlined by Obama in May.

_ New York hotelier and restaurateur Sant Singh Chatwal, an Indian-American who raised at least $100,000 for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign against Obama. He was a guest at then-President Bill Clinton's state dinner for India in 2000 and helped arrange an earthquake-relief visit by the former president to India in 2001.

_ John Doerr, a venture capitalist and member of Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Doerr, a major Democratic donor, hosted a Silicon Valley fundraiser for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and later donated the maximum $4,600 to Obama's campaign.

_ San Francisco venture capitalist Mark Gorenberg, who raised at least $500,000 for Obama's presidential campaign.

_ Billionaire Hyatt hotel heiress Penny Pritzker, who raised at least $200,000 for Obama's White House bid and at least $300,000 for his inaugural festivities. Pritzker last summer hosted a $15,200-a-person Democratic National Committee fundraiser featuring Obama at her Chicago home.

_ Director M. Night Shyamalan, an Obama donor.

_ Author Deepak Chopra, a donor to the Obama and Clinton presidential campaigns.