The girl, called Lakshmi after the Hindu four-armed goddess of wealth, was born attached to a parasitic twin which ceased developing in the mother's womb.
"Lakshmi's condition is extremely rare. She is actually one of a pair of conjoined twins, but only one of the twins has a head. This type of conjoining is called ischiopagus, in which the twins are joined at the lower chest or abdomen down to the pelvis. Since two pairs of arms and legs have formed at either end of the two adjoining torsos, Lakshmi appears to have eight limbs," explained the pediatric surgeon in charge of the operation.
Sharan Patil, who agreed to operate for free, was optimistic about the result saying: "Fortunately, Lakshmi has one complete body with a near perfect set of internal organs."
Without the operation Lakshmi will not be able to walk or crawl and will not survive until adolescence.
Lakshmi's parents had to hide the child for several months after a circus wanted to buy her.
