Pu Ziona is the head of the world’s largest family, with a total of 199 members living together under one roof. He has 38 wives, 89 children, and 36 grandchildren.
Baktawng village in Mizoram state, located in Northeast India, is home to this extraordinary family, comprising 199 individuals living together.
The house of Mr. Pu Ziona in India. (Source: Oddity Central)
Pu Ziona is the patriarch of this family. He had 38 wives, 89 children, and 36 grandchildren. Ziona passed away in 2021 at the age of 76 due to health complications from hypertension and diabetes. Nevertheless, the extended family continues to live together in the old house that Ziona built in the Baktawng hills.
Most of Ziona’s children are married, and some have even taken multiple wives. The current total number of family members stands at 199.
Maintaining a large family like this while ensuring their economic stability and living conditions is no easy task. Fortunately, everyone in the family contributes to this effort. They work on the family’s farms and production workshops. The family currently owns five pig farms, four carpentry workshops, and one aluminum workshop.
About twice a day, all family members gather in the family hall to share breakfast and dinner. Just the daily meals are a significant undertaking, as each meal requires at least 80 kilograms of rice and various other ingredients, prepared in enormous pots. Cleaning up after meals is also a considerable challenge. However, within the family, tasks are clearly divided, preventing any disputes or complaints about this matter.
So, what enabled Pu Ziona to build such a large family? It is known that during his lifetime, Pu Ziona was the leader of a long-established Christian sect called Chhuan Thar Kohhran (Church of the New Generation) in Mizoram. He was regarded by many as “a prophet” or “a man chosen by God.” Thus, he faced little opposition from the community or his family when he continued to take more wives. Local families respected Pu Ziona and were willing to marry their daughters to him.
It is not surprising that the Chhuan Thar Kohhran sect supports polygamy and has up to 2,600 members. Most of the sect’s members reside in Baktawng. They believe that faith will help them prosper and avoid divine punishment.
Currently, although family members wish to continue the cultural values that Pu Ziona left behind, things seem to be gradually changing. “I cannot become a person like my father. He was a chosen one by God. We are just ordinary people and cannot have multiple wives,” said Record, one of Ziona’s sons, in a recent interview with The Straits Times.
Other family members are also starting to send their children to larger cities—where they can receive better education and enhance their chances of success in life. Additionally, another house is being constructed for this large family to accommodate some members. Thus, the time they spend living together in one house is slowly counting down.
However, the title of the world’s largest family still attracts a significant number of tourists to the remote Baktawng village.
