A man by the name of Ziona, who resides in the village of Baktwang in Mizoram, India, is proud of his title as head of the world’s largest family.
Ziona is the head of a polygamous religious sect called Chana. His family consists of 39 wives, 94 children, 33 grandchildren, and various sons and daughters-in-law. The size of the massive family is especially staggering considering India’s issues caused by overpopulation.
Ziona and his family live in a 100-room mansion.
The wives live in a dormitory-style communal room, and the married children have their own family quarters within the mansion. The family is largely self-sufficient. The female members of the family manage the considerable chores of cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry. The men are responsible for farming and tending the livestock.
The family gets to work on their chores before 6 a.m. each morning and head to bed around 9:00 p.m. During one meal, the family can consume 220 pounds of rice, 130 pounds of potatoes, and up to 30 chickens. Meals have to be served in shifts based on age, and it can take up to 2 hours to get everyone fed.
Having 39 wives may seem like a recipe for jealousy, but the wives say that everything works quite smoothly.
A rotating schedule ensures that each wife gets to spend time with Ziona. The family will continue to grow as the children marry and have families of their own. Ziona says he is even open to the possibility of adding more wives.
