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An Indian man with a 14.5 inch TAIL growing out of his back is being hailed as a God.

Locals in the Alipurduar region believe 35-year-old Chandre Oraon is a reincarnation of the Hindu monkey deity Hanuman.

Many also believe that his ability to climb trees almost effortlessly is further proof of the divine similarities.

Many of his devotees travel hundreds of miles to queue up outside his house in Alipurduar, West Bengal, to seek blessings by touching his tail.

"I am Hanuman. People have a lot of respect for me because of my tail. I don’t mind the tail at all. It is a gift by God," he said.

Many of Chandre's followers believe he has healing powers.

Monika Lakda, who had travelled overnight to see Chandre at his small makeshift shrine, said: “My brother’s son was once very unwell and had fever.

"We gave him medicine but it did not work. So we came to Chandre to seek his blessings. The baby recovered soon after that.

“We believe that Chandre is an incarnation of Hanuman. They say he was born on the Holy Hanuman day. So we have faith in him."

But doctors say the 35-year-old's tail is caused by a rare congenital defect, and have offered to remove it - something which Chandre has vehemently resisted.

He said: “Once my mother chopped of my tail when I was young. Soon after, I got a high fever and I was very sick. My mother told me that I almost died.

“After that, everyone said I must keep the tail. My family said they felt me getting sick was a sign that my tail was divine."

Chandre's uncle, Baldev Ram, added: "With age, his tail has also been growing longer. So, we realised very early that he has the blessings of God."

(Image: Barcroft)

Despite having found fame as a revered Godman, Chandre admits it wasn't always easy.

He said: “When I was young, kids in the village used to make fun of me and my tail. They used to laugh. They used to pull my tail just for fun."

And Chandre revealed that his tail was also a turn-off for the ladies - with his family saying over 20 women rejected his romantic advances before he met current wife Maino, 38.

Chandre said: “A few women rejected my proposals.

"I had gone to see a girl once. She immediately noticed that I have a tail. She refused to marry me there and then. She said to my face it was because of my tail."

Chandre married Maino, 38, in 2007, before the couple had a daughter, five-year-old Radhika.

However, Chandre's status as a God and his love of living up to his monkey-like appearance by climbing trees, has driven the couple apart.

Maino said: “Despite his fame, things between us haven’t been working out well. I don’t like Chandre. I don’t like living with him.

“He doesn’t look good. My mother and my father passed away when I was young. So my brothers wanted to me to get married. So I had to compromise."

Despite this, Chandre is persevering with plans to build his own temple so he can offer mass blessings.

He said: "I want to build a temple. But I am poor man, so I am looking for some help. I work but then I don’t earn much, so I need to find other ways to fund my dream."