World's Biggest Family

The world's biggest family at Baktawang, Mizoram, India: The man with 39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren... Not to talk of the In-Laws...

a) Ziona Chana lives with all of them in a 100-room mansion.
b) His wives take it in turns to share his bed.
c) It takes 30 whole chickens just to make dinner.

Ziona Chana is head of the world's biggest family, and says he is blessed to have his 39 wives. He also has 94 children, 14 daughters-in-laws & 33 grandchildren.

They live in a 100-room, four storey house, set amidst the hills of Baktwang village in the Indian state of Mizoram, where the wives sleep in giant communal dormitories.

Mr. Chana told the Sun, "Today I feel like God's special child. He's given me so many people to look after. I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and head of the world's largest family."

The family is organised with almost military discipline, with the oldest wife Zathiangi organising her fellow partners to perform household chores such as cleaning, washing and preparing meals.

One evening meal can see them pluck 30 chickens, peel 132 lb of potatoes & boil up to 220 lb of rice. Coincidentally, Mr. Chana is also head of a sect that allows members to take as many wives as he wants.

He even married ten women in one year, when he was at his most prolific, and enjoys his own double bed while his wives have to make do with communal dormitories. He keeps the youngest women near to his bedroom with the older members of the family sleeping further away, and there is a rotation system for who visits Mr. Chana's bedroom. Rinkmini, one of Mr Chana's wives who is 35 years old said, "We stay around him as he is the most important person in the house. He is the most handsome person in the village." She says Mr. Chana noticed her on a morning walk in the village 18 years ago and wrote her a letter asking for her hand in marriage.

Another of his wives, Huntharnghanki said that the entire family gets along well. The family system is reportedly based on mutual love and respect. And Mr Chana, whose religious sect has 400 members, says that he has not stopped looking for new wives. He further said that to expand my sect, he is willing to go even to the U.S. to marry. One of his sons insisted that Mr Chana, whose grandfather also had many wives, marries the poor women from the village so he can look after them.