Patriarch of 'World's Largest Family' Dies

Indian man Ziona Chana reportedly had 38 wives, 94 children
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 15, 2021 2:44 PM CDT
Patriarch of 'World's Largest Family' Dies
Ziona Chana speaks to "60 Minutes Australia."   (YouTube)

The patriarch of what is believed to be the world's biggest family has died, leaving 38 grieving widows behind. Polygamy is officially illegal in India, but Mizoram state in the country's northeast allows exceptions for some groups, including the Christian sect founded by Ziona Chana's grandfather in 1942. Chana, who died Sunday at age 76, had around 94 children and dozens of grandchildren, Deutsche Welle reports. They lived in a 100-room home he called the "New Generation Home," where many of his wives slept in a dormitory.

Chana was head of the Chana Pawl sect, which has around 2,000 followers. He said he married his first wife in 1959, when he was 15. His most recent marriage was to a 25-year-old woman in 2004. Zoramthage, Mizoram state's chief minister, expressed his condolences, noting that Chana's home and village had become a major tourist attraction, the BBC reports. According to the Hindu, Chana had a total of 181 family members, a possible world record, though Canadian polygamist Winston Blackmore is believed to have had around 150 children with 27 wives. (More polygamy stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X