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The headless 'twin' is joined to Lakshmi at the pelvis and has its own spinal column and kidney.
Without the operation the little girl would never be able to walk or crawl and would be unlikely to live past her early teens, doctors said.
The extraordinary eight-limbed baby was born in a poverty-stricken region of Bihar, India - on the day devoted to the celebration of the four-armed Hindu deity
Vishnu.
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Fused: Lakshmi's body is joined with the parasitical twin which is attached to her body at her pelvis
Her mother Poonam Tatma said she believed her daughter was "a miracle, a reincarnation" of Vishnu.Dr Sharan Patil, who will be leading the surgery at the country's Narayana Health City, in Bangalore, said: "Fortunately, Lakshmi has one complete body with a near perfect set of organs.
"Her skeletal system involves two bodies which are fused together at the level of the pelvis.
"The operation itself, although presents several challenges, is not the most complex in the world. What is highly unusual in Lakshmi's case is precisely how her bodies are fused, almost mirroring each other."
The operation is expected to cost about £100,000.
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Hope: Lakshmi and mother Poonam prepare for the operation
Poonam, who gave birth to Lakshmi on the celebration day of the
four-armed Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity after whom the new
born was named, said: "She is a miracle, a special blessing from God.
But she is my daughter and she cannot live like this."Laskhmi is the subject of a Channel 4 documentary as part of the Bodyshocks series.
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