Conjoined twins Shivanath and Shivram Sahu have found a remarkable way to get to school – dropping to the floor and running like a spider.

The 12-year-olds, who were born joined at the waist, share two legs and four arms and work in tandem to get around.

The duo have stunned doctors with their ability to wash, dress and feed themselves - and say they are determined never to be parted.

Shivram said: “We don’t wish to get separated. We will stay like this even when we grow old. We want to live as we are”.

The pair were born in a tiny village near Raipur in central India. Their arrival caused quite a stir with some villagers even worshipping them as divine incarnations.

A local doctor told the family they were both healthy but he could not separate them. They are believed to share the same stomach but have independent lungs, hearts and brains.