The gorgeous Aishwarya Rai and sultry Mallika Sherawat have added another feather in their cap of fame by getting in the AskMen.com's annual list of 'Top 99 Most Desirable Women in the World', ranking the famous females deemed to be the year 2008's most alluring. Aishwarya at No.27 and Mallika at No.66 are joined by Indian-American model and food show host Padma Lakshmi at No.66.

In casting their votes, AskMen.com's readers were asked to look beyond sex appeal and beauty to pick women who have the characteristics they value in a potential companion, like intelligence, humor, charisma, and ambition. The result is an annual list that acts as the definitive gauge for identifying what modern men desire most in their female companions.

Over five million AskMen.com readers cast their votes to identify the females from the worlds of music, fashion, sports, and entertainment who they felt best represented their ideal woman.

Katherine Heigl, Emmy winning actress of 'Grey's Anatomy' TV series, and the star of box-office hit 'Knocked Up', takes the top spot for the 2008 list released on January 31 by the men's lifestyle online magazine.

Aishwarya is described by the magazine as "the most beautiful woman to come out of Bollywood" to have mark on the American audiences. In 2007, she appeared in films like 'Guru' and 'The Last Legion', and was signed on to co-star in the Steve Martin-helmed 'Pink Panther 2'. Her getting hitched to actor Abhishek Bachchan has not made a difference, the site says.

This year, Aishwarya appeared in a big-budget period romance 'Jodha Akbar', where she played the role of the wife of the Mughal emperor Akbar, played by Hrithik Roshan. She looks pretty as a doll in the film.

Mallika's citation at the site reads, "Her complete comfort with her body is apparent, both in her brashness off-screen and her on-screen performances." She came to international limelight for her short role with Jackie Chan in 'The Myth'. She is now starring in English-language films – 'The Aquarian Gospel' and 'Unveiled'.

Mallika had quite a successful 2007 with a hat-trick of box office successes to her name. However, even though 'Guru', 'Aap Ka Surroor' and 'Welcome' were all money-spinners, Mallika only had supporting roles or cameo appearances in each of the three films.

While in 'Guru', she gyrated to the tune of chartbuster track "Maiyya Maiyya", in case of 'Aap Kaa Suroor' there were rumors about her charging a whopping Rs. one crore for doing an item track "Mehbooba" in addition to a few scenes as a woman who had much more than just a crush on Himesh Reshammiya.

The latest release 'Welcome' is her biggest blockbuster of all times. Even as she made an appearance only in the second half of the film, her arrival made the proceedings livelier.

Padma Lakshmi, the estranged wife of author Salman Rushdie, the magazine says, "is best known for her hosting gig on 'Top Chef', making men throughout the country take an interest in the culinary arts for one hour every week". The three Indian divas are more desirable than tennis star Maria Sharapova (74), actress Lindsay Lohan (95) and Lucy Pinder (69).

With their successful Bollywood movies and prestigious Hollywood projects, it's impossible to ignore these two Indian divas – Aishwarya and Mallika – in the international arena, particularly after being named among the most desirable women in the world.