A calf born with an extra eye on its forehead is being worshipped by villagers, who are convinced it is the reincarnation of the Hindu God, Shiva. Large crowds have been gathering in the house of the farmer who owns it, to worship the young cow.
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A Visit From God
A jersey cow, owned by a farmer in the Indian village of Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon, birthed the rare three-eyed calf with four nostrils.
Since the delivery on January 13, people have been queueing to worship the female cow, which they have described as a miracle. The owner, Neeraj Chandel said:
As soon as the cow gave birth, we thought it had some kind of a wound on his forehead before finding it as an eye with the help of a flashlight. We then found four nostrils which further saw the locals thronging our home after the nocturnal birth.
To honour the god, locals have been making gift offerings of coconuts and flowers to the infant cow. According to Chandel, its mother gave had previously given birth to ‘normal’ calves that have grown into healthy cattle.
Despite the anomaly, the calf which weighs 13.5 kg (30lbs) is said to be healthy and is doing well. Chandel said:
The calf is moving normally and drinks milk from the mother’s udder and makes good use of the third eye on his forehead. It’s more like God has visited us.
Alternative Explanation
But not everyone believes the birth of the deformed calf is a divine visitation. Madan Anand is a private veterinary practitioner, and he said there is nothing spiritually mysterious about it.
The birth of a calf is just another case of deformity. It has nothing to do with superstitions or even faith.
Some veterinarians argue that the mutation has been caused by a hormonal disorder that affected the calf in the womb. Anand says people ought to be educated on these things.
People should be made aware, especially those who are from rural areas who tend to worship such animals. The local veterinarians in their respective domains such held awareness campaigns to avoid such practices.
