A Life Defined by Numbers
Visitors who reached the hillside village of Baktawng in Mizoram often came for a single reason. They wanted to see the man widely known for heading the largest living family on the planet.
Ziona, born Zionnghaka in July 1945, became the focus of global attention because of the extraordinary size of his household. His story spans decades of marriages, births, community leadership, and repeated recognition by record keeping organizations across the world.
Early Years and the Rise of a Household
Ziona was born in Hmawngkawn village and raised within the Christian sect founded by his uncle Khuangtuaha in 1942. The sect practiced polygamy and later settled in Baktawng. Ziona married his first wife, Zathiangi, at age seventeen. She was three years older and eventually became the head wife.
Over time he married many more women, sometimes several in a single year. By the time he succeeded his father Chana as leader of the sect in 1997, he already had more wives than his father had ever taken.
Building a Home for an Expanding Family
Ziona constructed a four story residence that functioned like a community lodge. Known as the House of the New Generation, it housed his wives, children, daughters in law, and grandchildren. The arrangement was organized with precise routines.
Younger wives lived near his bedroom on the ground floor and older wives lived in dormitories above. The family operated its own school, maintained farmland, and ran cottage industries that included carpentry and utensil making. Every member of the household contributed to daily tasks, from cooking to agriculture.
Recognition and Record Keeping
Although Guinness World Records does not maintain a category for the largest human family, other organizations documented Ziona’s household. The World Record Academy recognized the family in 2011 when Ziona had thirty nine wives, ninety four children, fourteen daughters in law, and thirty three grandchildren.
The same year The Wall Street Journal listed the household as the biggest family in the world. London World Records repeated the designation in 2019. When Guinness officials attempted verification in 2011, Ziona declined to be photographed and therefore did not receive a Guinness entry.
Final Years
Ziona remained a central figure in Baktawng for decades. He celebrated his sixty eighth birthday in 2013 with one hundred fifty guests. By 2021 he was affected by hypertension, diabetes, and anemia. He became critically ill in June and died at Trinity Hospital in Aizawl on thirteen June 2021 at age seventy five.
At the time of his death he was survived by thirty eight wives, eighty nine children, and thirty three grandchildren. His funeral took place on seventeen June after two days of preparation.
In a remote village in Mizoram, India, one man shared a four story home with dozens of wives, children, and grandchildren.
Ziona, born Zionnghaka in 1945, became known worldwide as the head of the largest living family ever recorded…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/AzCuPkZPuF
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) November 18, 2025