Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Did you know that the world's largest family resides in India?
Residing in a 100-room four story mansion outside of Baktawang in Mizoram, Ziona Chana is married to 39 women with whom he has 94 children, 14-daughters-in-law, and 33 grandchildren.
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In PHOTOS: World's largest family in India
Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Chana first married at age 17.
His oldest wife is 70, and the youngest is 31. The wives sleep in communal dormitories with the youngest women sleeping closest to Chana and a rotation system for visitations. Chana once married ten women in one year.
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In PHOTOS: World's largest family in India
Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
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.
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It takes 30 chickens, one "giant" pig, 55 lbs of rice and 88 lbs of potatoes for every meal cooked for the entire family.
The family grows its own crops and keeps its own livestock.
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Chana 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 Chana's bedroom.
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Rinkmini, one of Chana's wives, 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 said Chana noticed her on a morning walk in the village 18 years ago and wrote her a letter asking for her hand in marriage.
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Ziona heads a local Christian religious sect, called the "Chana", which allows polygamy. Formed in June 1942, the sect believes it will soon be ruling the world with Christ and has a membership of around 400 families.
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But Ziona doesn't appear fazed by the size of his apparently happy family -- and doesn't claim any benefits for their upkeep.
'I feel like God's special child. He's given me so many people to look after,' he said, adding, 'I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and head of the world's largest family.'
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