In a Mizoram village, this 4-storey building with 100 rooms for 199 members belongs to one family

The world’s largest family resides in the state of Mizoram in India, in the village of Baktawang. A total of 199 family members reside in a single house with four floors consisting of around 100 rooms. Notably, it has become a tourist attraction as a result of the family’s presence.

The genesis of the evolution of the family tree begins with Ziona Chana, who passed away in 2021 suffering from complications from diabetes and blood pressure. Chana, then had 38 wives, 89 children alongwith their respective spouses and 36 grandchildren.  

Ziona Chana belonged to the ‘Chana’ sect, founded by Ziona's father in 1942. It has a total member count of hundreds of families. Ziona, in a sensational claim said that he married as many as 10 wives in a single year. He married his first wife when he was 17.

‘Ready to expand my family’: Ziona

All of his wives shared a dormitory near his private bedroom and Ziona liked to have seven or eight of his wives near him at any given point of time, as per the account from the locals in the village. An amazing spectacle would unfold itself when the entire family would gather together for the meal in the dining hall, which is akin to a hostel mess, with all seated together. Surprisingly, in an interview with Reuters in 2011, Ziona said he wanted to further grow his family.

"I am ready to expand my family and willing to go to any extent to marry," he had said. "I have so many people to care for and look after, and I consider myself a lucky man."