To his thirty-six years old, Zion Chana He stopped breathing, but his story continues in each of his descendants: 39 wives, 94 children, and more than thirty-three grandchildrenadding a total of 167 personas who took this man, a native of Mizoram, India, to be considered the patriarch of the largest family in the world. It was no small feat; It was the result of a life guided by a purpose that he himself defined in an interview with Reuters: “I am willing to go to the end to expand my family.” Based on that controversial commitment, Ziona built a dynasty that became a legend in his village of Baktawng Mountainsin the northeast of the country.
From a young age, Ziona was no ordinary man. He was born in 1945 within a unique community: the Chana Pawl secta group founded in 1942 by his father and in which the Polygamy was encouraged as a spiritual value. Thus, at the age of 17, Ziona met his first wife, a woman older than him by three years, who would initiate him into the married life that would later become a true social phenomenon.
Her life, marked by the purpose of multiplying, took place in an organized and particular structure: her home, a four-story pink building known as the New Generation House (or “Chuuar Than Run”), has more than 100 rooms. In this space, which seemed to challenge conventional norms of family life, Ziona organized his routine surrounded by his wives, who slept in a bedroom near his private room. Everything was meticulously arranged; Tasks were divided among family members, and The wives “took care” – as he defined the relationship – of Ziona in a rotating order in which he preferred to be accompanied by seven or eight of them at all times.
Among the women in the family, Ziona was viewed with respect and devotion. He saw in them the extension of his personal and spiritual mission.. He came to marry ten women in a single year, a gesture that consolidated his reputation in the village.
For Ziona, her family’s greatness was a symbol of fortune and divine purpose. In a 2011 interview with Reuters, He confessed: ““I have so many people to take care of and I consider myself a lucky man.” That faith in his mission led him to continue getting married, adding more and more children to his descendants, and inspiring the community of Chana Pawlwho saw in him the example of a patriarch committed to the values of his sect
His family’s story soon aroused curiosity beyond the boundaries of Mizoram. On two occasions, Ziona and his dynasty were featured on the American program Ripley’s Believe it or Notwhich attracted a large number of tourists and curious people to the small town of Baktawng. The New Generation House It became something of a tourist attraction, and dozens of people traveled long distances to closely observe the life of a man who had defied social conventions in the name of his faith.
However, the reason behind his large family had deep spiritual roots. The Paul’s Chana sectfounded by Ziona’s grandfather, promoted the idea that polygamy was a means to multiply believers and strengthen the community. In that sense, Ziona was the leader of a community of almost 2,000 followers. The entire village was organized around him and his descendantsand many members of the sect lived near his house, in the same village of New Generation Tlangnuamwhere they formed a unique enclave of family beliefs and customs uncommon in India.
The impact of his death on 2021was such that the news reached the ears of the chief minister of the state of Mizoram, Zoramthangawho expressed his condolences on social networks. However, while doctors certified Ziona’s death at Trinity Hospital, members of the sect insisted that the patriarch was still alive. “We feel his pulse and his body is still warm,” he said. Zaitinkhumathe church secretary.
Ziona’s followers rejected the idea of holding a funeral until his body cooled completely, convinced that their leader could still return. Thus, the man who defied all norms remained unburied while his wives and followers watched over his body in the hope of a miracle.
Times of India reported that Ziona suffered in her last years from diabetes e hypertensionand that fatigue sometimes kept him in his room more than usual. However, until the end, he remained faithful to his mission of expanding his lineage and consolidating his legacy, a vision that he nurtured and that, to this day, continues to shape the life of his community.
