Villagers in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh flocked to seek the blessings of a dead calf born with human facial features. They believe it to be Gokarna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu and plan to build a temple for it. Doctors say the calf's deformed head is due a to a gene defect.

A rare event took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar. Residents of the area flocked to an animal shelter to seek the blessings of a calf that unfortunately died an hour after it was born. For those living in the area, this calf was an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Why?

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Because the calf was born with facial features of a human being. Villagers believed that the calf was Gokarna, one of the 24 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. A few hours later, those living in the area placed the dead calf in a glass box and word spread quickly about the birth of a god like animal.

Videos of villagers seeking blessings and laying garlands went viral on the internet. According to reports, there are plans to build a temple for the calf. Mahesh Kathuria, 50, a local businessman who came to see the calf, said, "God has taken birth from the body of a local cow. We came here to seek his blessings. Religiously, it is an avatar of Vishnu. We believe it's a similar character mentioned in Bhagavata Puran, a Hindu religious text."

The owner of the animal shelter was equally thrilled. Thousands of people have been here to see it. We will be cremating him in three days and a temple will be built for him. This avatar has most definitely created a devotion feeling amongst the people,” Daily Mail quoted him as saying. However, doctors said that the cow’s facial deformity is a medical anomaly. He rubbished rumours, stating that this could have happened if a gene didn’t develop well.