Victory City by Salman Rushdie

In the wake of an unimportant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for a goddess, who begins to speak out of the girls mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampanas comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnagavictory citythe wonder of the world.