London, Nov 28 (ANI): She may only be 2ft 7in tall, but Hindu nun Anjali Barma is a towering presence at her temple in the Indian holy city of Haridwar.
Every day, the 65-year-old dwarf greets dozens of worshippers who flock to her temple so she can bless their prayers, the Daily Mail reported.
"People from all walks of life bow to me," Barma, also known as Ganga Maa said.
"I used to hate being so small but now I love it. It has brought me many fortunes and people think I'm an extra special holy person," she said.
Apart from the usual requests, such as for wealth, health or happiness, her devotees also ask her to bless more bizarre hopes ranging from visa approvals and gambling bets.
"I try to advise everyone to stay away from vices but when a devotee comes from afar one has to respect his wishes so I do as I'm asked," she said.
Barma, was born to a wealthy family in 1947.
Her father was an employee with the Indian railways and she was sent to school for a few years. But the bullying and taunting on the school playground became too much, and she soon lost interest in study.
At the age of 10, she was out playing when she was kidnapped by a circus owner attracted by her unusual height.
He held her captive for several months and tried to persuade her to perform on his stage and become a huge attraction for the show, but she refused.
"The circus owner offered me everything to perform - clothes, expensive food and toys but I refused," she said.
"He kept me locked up for months, until eventually I managed to escape," she added.
Barma ran until she came across a police station and reported herself to the authorities.
Back at home, her parents tried to find her a husband and when she was 17 she was engaged to be married but things abruptly came to an end.
"He liked to flirt with me, always flirting, I didn't like it so I reported him to the police and had him arrested," she said.
Sadly, Barma's parents died when she was only in her 20s. Her siblings ignored her parents' wishes to take care of her and abandoned her, leaving her to find refuge near the banks of the famous Ganga River, in Haridwar.
Dressed from head to toe in her bright orange robes, sometimes as many as 40 locals a day meet with her at her favourite ghat and ask her to bless their prayers.
Barma is even smaller than the 'World's smallest bodybuilder', the late Romeo Devi, who stood at 2ft 9ins, but is just 7ins taller than the world's smallest woman, Jyoti who stands at a remarkable 2ft 0.7ins.
"I used to be sad about my height but now people much taller than me bow before me," she added. (ANI)
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