Kodinhi is a tiny little village residing in the state of Kerala. As of the year 2017, the village has recorded a whopping count of 400 pair of twins.
The Mysterious Phenomenon
Back in 2008, the village had close to 200 births and of those were 15 pair of twins! India as a country has the lowest rate of twin births, with a record of only 9 per thousand births. Contrasting it is the twin birth rate in Kodinhi alone which is 45 births per thousand which is the highest for a single town in the whole world.
Scientific Theories
There have been numerous scientific tests and lab tests done in the past to deduce a plausible reason explaining this miraculous occurrence. Extensive research has been carried out on the water that is consumed by the locals in that area and the diet has been monitored on a regular basis.
Twinning Here and There
Much like the twin village of Kodinhi in India are villages in Vietnam, Brazil and Nigeria that exhibit very similar properties. A series of genetic factors were considered and possible relations were drawn but nothing concrete emerged.
According to excerpts published in one of the many papers submitted “There is no known genetic link identified yet for identical twinning and the real factor behind the phenomenon is yet to be ascertained”
Interesting Facts
- The rate of twin births in Kodinhi is one of the highest in the world as a city (even though India ranks among the lowest when it comes to countries registering twin births in the world)
- According to medical conclusions, IVF treatments lead to twin births mostly. But when it comes to Kodinhi, none of the city’s twin births was through IVF
- Women who weren’t born in Kodinhi or anywhere remotely close to Kodinhi but got married in Kodinhi family have registered more number of twin births than women who originally hail from Kodinhi
- The rate of twin births in Kodinhi has been increasing every year
- Kodinhi has seen the birth of sixty pairs of twins in the last 5 years!
- Many medical researchers who have studied this rare occurrence in Kodinhi that there are as many as 350 odd pairs of twins in Kodinhi as of today
- The first recorded document of this fascinating medical miracles is some 7o years ago
- Another medical observation goes that generally women who are much shorter in height give birth to twins. However, the average height of women in Kodinhi who have given birth to twins is 5 feet.
- The residents of Kodinhi have come together and formed an association that goes by the name Twins and Kin Association (TAKA) to register and provide support for the twins of Kodinhi and their families. TAKA has taken upon itself to educate these twins and also provide some financial assistance to their families
The school going twins often participate in innocent pranks to confuse their fellow classmates and sometimes also their teachers! Now, isn’t that fun?
What actually is the real scientific reason behind this medical miracle still remains a mystery and researchers and experts from the field are unsure as to whether they would be ever able to unravel this mystery. But what intriguing is that this occurrence is still going strong and the Twin Town of Kodinhi very rightfully makes it the God’s Own Town!!
