Ischiopagus and Diprosopus in India: Two Pairs of Conjoined Twins Perceived as Incarnations of Hindu Deities

This article briefly reviews two specific types of conjoined twins, ischiopagus and diprosopus, and discusses recent cases of such twins born in India. Some members of the Hindu community worshiped these conjoined twins as incarnations of Hindu deities. In discussing this phenomenon, the authors aim...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tubbs, R. Shane (Author)
Contributors: Ditty, Benjamin (Other) ; Bosmia, Anand N. (Other) ; Bosmia, Arpan N. (Other)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. [2015]
In: Journal of religion and health
Year: 2015, Volume: 54, Issue: 1, Pages: 87-92
Further subjects:B Deity
B Worship
B Congenital
B Hinduism
B Twinning
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:This article briefly reviews two specific types of conjoined twins, ischiopagus and diprosopus, and discusses recent cases of such twins born in India. Some members of the Hindu community worshiped these conjoined twins as incarnations of Hindu deities. In discussing this phenomenon, the authors aim to elucidate certain features of the faith tradition of Hinduism itself. The reception of these conjoined twins as incarnations of Hindu deities can be understood by examining two salient features of Hindu polytheism: the pictorial depiction of Hindu deities with multiple appendages and the concept of an incarnation, or avatar, of a Hindu deity.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-013-9737-7