A small village in Kerala's Malappuram district, long known for its unusually high number of twins, has once again captured national attention after featuring in a viral advertising campaign by e-commerce platform Flipkart.
Kodinhi, often referred to as India's "Twin Town", has fascinated researchers, visitors and media organisations for years because of its remarkably high twinning rate. In a country where twin births are relatively uncommon, the village stands apart with nearly one in every five residents believed to be a twin.
Now, the village's unique identity has been pushed into the national spotlight through a light-hearted Flipkart summer sale advertisement that uses Kodinhi's real-life phenomenon as a playful metaphor for "double" offers and buy-one-get-one deals.
The campaign has quickly gained traction online, with viewers praising its humour and originality.
A village where life comes in pairs
At first glance, Kodinhi appears much like any other quiet village in Kerala. But a closer look reveals a striking pattern, children who look identical walking together, classrooms filled with twins, and families where multiple twin births are common.
The village, home to around 2,000 families, is estimated to have between 400 and 550 pairs of twins. Researchers say the twinning rate in Kodinhi ranges from 42 to 45 per 1,000 births, far higher than India's average of roughly four to nine per 1,000 births.
Locals say the phenomenon has existed for at least six or seven decades and continues every year, with new twin births regularly reported.
One detail that has further intrigued researchers is that women originally from Kodinhi have also reportedly given birth to twins after moving away from the village following marriage, adding to speculation that genetics may play a role.
The Flipkart advertisement that went viral
The renewed attention around Kodinhi follows the release of Flipkart's summer sale campaign, which centres entirely around the idea of everything coming in pairs.
The advertisement opens with the line: "Welcome to Kodinhi, record holder for the most number of twins. Here, double is in the DNA."
Using the village's twin identity as the foundation for its "SaSa Lele" sale campaign, the advertisement creates humorous situations where nearly every interaction involves doubles.
In one scene, a nurse hands over a newborn baby to a mother and says, "congratulations, it is a boy." Moments later, another nurse arrives carrying an identical baby and adds, "boy one, get one."
Another sequence shows a worried man arriving at a police station to report his missing brother. When asked for a photograph, he takes a selfie and shows it to the police officer, who instantly recognises the missing man because the two brothers are identical twins.
In another comic moment, a young man romantically tells his fiancee, "you are the only one in this world for me", only for her twin sister to walk past moments later.
The advertisement's simple visual humour and unusual setting helped it spread rapidly across social media platforms, introducing Kodinhi to many viewers for the first time.
Scientific mystery yet to be solved
Despite years of attention from researchers in India and abroad, scientists have still not found a definitive explanation for Kodinhi's unusually high twin birth rate.
Several theories have been explored, including the possibility that local environmental conditions, diet or water composition could influence twin pregnancies. However, no consistent factor has been identified.
Researchers have also examined possible genetic explanations, particularly genes linked to hyperovulation, but no conclusive evidence has emerged.
Unlike Igbo-Ora in Nigeria, another region globally associated with a high rate of twin births and where certain foods are believed to contribute, Kodinhi has shown no obvious dietary pattern linked to the phenomenon.
Scientific studies have additionally ruled out explanations involving pollutants, chemicals or unusual lifestyle habits. Local folklore and spiritual beliefs surrounding the phenomenon continue to exist, though these have not been supported by scientific findings.
Kodinhi community embraces its identity
For residents, however, Kodinhi's twin phenomenon is not viewed as unusual. Many families consider twins a blessing and see the village's identity as something to celebrate rather than analyse.
Over the years, the community has also organised itself around this unique distinction. In 2008, residents formed the Twins and Kins Association (TAKA), an organisation that documents twin births, supports affected families and works alongside researchers studying the village.
While the recent advertisement has introduced Kodinhi to a wider audience, locals say the village's uniqueness has always been part of everyday life, children growing up side by side, identical faces in crowded streets and families where "double" has quietly become ordinary.