The parents of a baby born in India with 26 fingers and toes have deemed her the embodiment of a Hindu goddess.
At a hospital in Bharatpur, in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, a young girl was born with seven fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.
While medical professionals called her condition a genetic anomaly, her family is said to be overjoyed and publicly acknowledges her as the reincarnation of Dholagarh Devi, a famous local deity whose temple stands near the location of the girl's birth.
Sarju Devi, the baby's 25-year-old mother, is reported to be delighted, while her brother told local media: 'My sister has given birth to a baby with 26 fingers, and we consider it to be the incarnation of Dholagarh Devi. We are delighted.'
Despite having a total of 26 fingers and toes, different from most children, the hospital medic who attended to her birth assured her that she was healthy.
Dr. BS Soni said: 'There is no harm of any kind in having 26 fingers, but it is a genetic anomaly. The girl is otherwise absolutely healthy.'
Medical experts have attributed the baby's surplus fingers and toes to a rare genetic anomaly.
Medical professionals report that the baby's extra fingers and toes result from a rare genetic anomaly. The condition is called Polydactyly when a person is born with extra fingers or toes.
Polydactyly often tends to run in families or results from genetic mutations or environmental causes.
According to Healthline: 'The term comes from the Greek words for 'many' ('poly') and 'digits' ('dactylos').
'There are several types of polydactyly. The extra digit[s] often grow next to the fifth finger or toe.'
