India: Teen With 7-Inch Tail Worshipped as Hindu Monkey God Hanuman

A 13-year-old Muslim boy in India, who has a seven-inch-long tail, is worshipped by Hindu devotees as they believe he is the reincarnation of monkey god Hanuman.

Arshid Ali Khan, who lives in the northern Indian state of Punjab, is known as Balaji among his devotees.

However, the tail makes it difficult for him to walk, and he has to use a wheelchair.

"This tail has been given to me by God. I am worshipped because I pray to god and the wishes of people come true," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

"I feel neither good nor bad about having a tail," he added.

Khan lives with his maternal grandfather Iqbal Qureshi, and two uncles. His father Raj Mohammad died when he was four years old and mother Salma remarried and lives with her husband.

"When he spoke for the first time at the age on one all he spoke was the names of Gods from different religions," Qureshi said.

"It was that day I realised that he had something divine and godly about him. It does not matter whether we are Muslims or Hindus, I think there is just one path for spiritualism," he added.

Ali's home has been converted into a temple where devotees line up for his blessings.

"Mostly on weekdays, I have to go to school but when I have a school holiday on Sunday around 20 to 30 people come to see me at my home," he said, adding, "No one teases me. Everybody wants to see my tail and so they keep asking."

However, Khan struggles to walk and is considering having the tail surgically removed.

Some doctors claim his condition is a form of spina bifida called meningocele. This develops when membranes poke through a hole between the vertebrae.

According to the newspaper, he is scheduled to see a doctor this month to remove the appendage, but his family is scared that the surgery could be fatal.

"It is for Balaji to decide. If he wants to get the tail removed, we do not mind. He has trouble walking and so we are asking doctors what can be done," Qureshi said.