Dozens of devotees are flocking a makeshift temple set up by an Indian caterer in Leicester after he found a brinjal that looks like Lord Ganesh.
61-year-old Praful Visram discovered the brinjal in a box of vegetables and now proudly displays in the backroom at his workplace, British tabloid 'The Sun' reported.
He claims Ganesh has blessed him and he is simply honouring the divine wish by putting it on display.
"My wife, Rekha, saw it and recognised the similarity with Ganpati Bappa - Lord Ganesh. We immediately placed it with reverence in the temple at work. It has been a blessing for us and I hope will bring us luck and prosperity," Praful was quoted as saying by the paper.
"This has been sent to us and we shall treat this with the respect it deserves," said Praful, who runs a catering unit.
Nowadays, Praful and his family is joined by his catering staff twice a day to worship the divine vegetable.
He said word has spread and over 80 people have turned up to worship the elephant-faced aubergine. "It is spreading good feeling throughout the community," Praful added.
Devotees worshipping the vegetable believe it to be a reincarnation of Ganpati Bappa and have vowed to give the sacred brinjal a full Hindu funeral, once it decomposes and becomes too mouldy, the report said.
{{/usCountry}}Devotees worshipping the vegetable believe it to be a reincarnation of Ganpati Bappa and have vowed to give the sacred brinjal a full Hindu funeral, once it decomposes and becomes too mouldy, the report said.
{{/usCountry}}And one of Praful's workers, Bacash said, "There is no doubt that it looks like the God. I pray in the temple at work every day and it gives me a good feeling."