Small Wonder: Girl Born With An 'Elephant Trunk' Deformity Being Worshipped For Bearing Resemblance With Lord 'Ganesha'

In Photo: A devotee adjusts the axe of an idol of Hindu elephant god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, as it is transported from a workshop to a place of worship in Mumbai August 18, 2013. The idols will be paraded through the streets in a procession during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, accompanied by dancing and singing. They will then be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual send-off of Ganesh's journey towards his abode in "Kailash", while taking away with him the misfortunes of all mankind. The festival will be celebrated on September 9.  

A baby girl born with a facial deformity is being worshipped as god in an Indian village. The deformity looks similar to an elephant's trunk, and doctors are suspecting that it might be because of a rare genetic mutation.
The little girl is being regarded as "divine" since her deformity resembles Indian god Ganesha, who had a head like that of an elephant. The people living in and around the Aligarh region of Uttar Pradesh, India, are coming in flocks to catch a glimpse of the girl, considering her as an incarnation of the god.
The little girl's facial deformity is in the form of a lump between both her eyes that has resulted in the division of her nose into two parts. The deformity reportedly took place when the baby was in the womb of the mother. The fourth child of the family is otherwise healthy and well.
Doctors are yet to examine the baby to assess the need for a surgical intervention to make necessary facial corrections. However, they warned people that the deformity could have resulted because of a genetic mutation facilitated by pollution or malnutrition.
According to a report released in 2003 by the environment magazine Down to Earth, Aligarh and its surrounding area, being an industrial site, has poor sewage drainage and inappropriate working conditions. This is being suspected as one of the main reasons that may have triggered such deformity.
The family of the little girl can opt for a corrective surgery at a later stage in life when desired, reported Yahoo News. On the other hand, the father of the baby girl believes that the birth of her daughter with such deformity will change the fortune of the entire family.