A man in India, reputedly the father of the largest family in the world, has died - leaving behind 38 widows, 89 children and 33 grandchildren, reports say.
Ziona Chana, 76, headed a Christian sect that allowed polygamy. He and his family lived in a four-story house called the "New Generation Home" with 100 rooms in the northeastern state of Mizoram.
The sect, called Chana Pawl, was founded by his father in 1942. It has around 2,000 members and most of them live in Mizoram's Baktawang village.
The sect encourages families to live communally. Though polygamy is illegal, Mizoram allows exceptions for some tribes.
"With heavy heart, #Mizoram bid farewell to Zion-a, believed to head the world's largest family, with 38 wives and 89 children," Mizoram's single-named Chief Minister Zoramthanga announced Chana's death on Twitter this past weekend.
Chana died from high blood pressure and diabetes, India news media reported.
Chana and his family had made their village one of the state's main tourist attractions, according to Zoramthanga.
Chana was 17 when he married his first wife. He married again - and again - including 10 times in a single year until giving up aged 60.
Locals said Chana liked to have seven or eight of his wives by his side at all times.
The Chana Pawl sect believes Jesus Christ will return to rule the Earth for 1,000 years as written in the New Testament's Revelations, Chapter 20, Insider reported.
"The family is very disciplined and there are a lot of things to learn from them," Lal Thanhawla, former chief minister of Mizoram, told the Anadolu news agency.
Despite his family's massive size, Chana told Reuters in a 2011 interview he wanted to grow it even further. "I have so many people to care for and look after, I consider myself a lucky man," he said.
