The Riddle of Kodinhi Village: Why Are Three Times More Twins Born Here Than Elsewhere?

In the Indian state of Kerala, there is a unique place that has puzzled scientists for decades. The village of Kodinhi, also known as the “village of twins,” amazes with its abnormally high frequency of twin births. Here, for every 1,000 births, there are about 45 pairs of twins — almost three times more than the world average. Despite numerous studies, there is still no exact explanation for this phenomenon.

Currently, there are about 220 pairs of twins of different ages living in Kodinhi. Some families even have triplets! Considering that the village has a population of about 2,000, it becomes clear why this place is considered anomalous. The oldest twins were born here in 1949, and since then at least 15 new pairs have been born every year.

Local doctor Krishnan Sribiju, who grew up with a twin brother himself, has been studying the phenomenon for years. He says the unusual trend extends beyond the village: there are another 100 to 120 pairs of twins in the surrounding areas who are rarely counted in official studies.

Twins have always been born in Kodinhi, but an unexplained surge in their birth occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. Many scientists have tried to explain this phenomenon, but so far without success. Dr. Sribiju is confident that the locals' diet cannot affect this, as it is no different from the generally accepted diet in the state of Kerala. The doctor also denies a genetic mutation. In his opinion, this is some kind of natural anomaly, the cause of which has yet to be found.

India, and indeed all of Asia, has a low birth rate of twins. On average, it is 4 cases per 1000 births. In the Western world, twins are born more often, which is also facilitated by artificial insemination. But in the village of Kodinhi, such methods have not even been heard of - here women give birth naturally, often at the age of 18-20.

The large number of twins in the village even created unique problems. There are 30-40 pairs of twins in schools, who are easily noticeable in the general mass of children by their appearance and identical clothes. Such children are difficult to distinguish not only for teachers, but also for classmates.

Since multiple pregnancy is not an easy thing, a special association was created in the village to support such pregnant women and parents of twins. Residents jointly solve some problems, as well as provide assistance in raising babies and in every possible way support large families.

Visiting researchers have not succeeded in solving the phenomenon. The main hypothesis is the content of certain chemicals in water and agricultural products. But this version is lame, since even women who left Kodinha long ago still give birth to twins much more often than usual.

This means that the cause lies not only in the environment, but also in the population of Kodinhi itself. Perhaps there is something in their genes that has so far escaped the attention of scientists.

It is worth noting that Kodinhi is not the only place with such an anomaly. A similar situation is observed in the Brazilian municipality of Candido Godoi and in the Nigerian city of Igbo-Ora. However, there is still no exact explanation for why twins are born more often in these regions.

What do you think the secret of the village of Kodinhi might be? Could there be something that we don't know about yet? Share your hypotheses in the comments!