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© CatersThousands have flocked to the small town where the baby was born
Worshippers in India have gathered in the small town of Dumri-Isri to celebrate the arrival of the baby

Thousands of religious devotees have flocked to see a baby born with eight limbs to worship him as a Hindu God.

The baby boy, who has not yet been named, was born with four legs and four arms - thought to be the result of a birth defect from an underdeveloped conjoined twin.

But worshippers in India have gathered in the small town of Dumri-Isri to celebrate the arrival of the baby, who they believe to be a reincarnation of Hindu God Ganesha.

Ganesha is one of the most iconic and widely-worshipped deities in the Hindu religion and is represented as an elephant with four arms.

Kuntalesh Pandey told local media he had travelled 72 miles to catch a glimpse of the boy.

He said: "When a friend first sent me a picture I wrote it off as photoshopped but when he confirmed that it is real I came to see the baby straight away."

The condition of the baby's mother, Ureda Khatun, is unknown.

The baby is not the first to win adulation from Hindus after being born with a physical abnormality.

Last year, a boy with a seven-inch 'tail' announced he was considering having it removed - despite being worshipped as a God.

Arshid Ali Khan, 13, was hailed an incarnation of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.