About Us Satyagraha House

Untitled Document

Satyagraha House, in the residential neighbourhood of Orchards in Johannesburg, was the home of Mahatma Gandhi from 1908 to 1909. Within these walls, Gandiji created and developed his philosophy of passive resistance (Satyagraha). A pacifist method of protest that he employed in India to lead the country to independence.

The house was built in 1907 by Gandhi’s close friend, the German architect Hermann Kallenbach. Renovations have restored the original spirit of the house, bringing back an important page in the history of both South Africa and Mahatma Gandhi. The Satyagraha House is now a registered part of the country’s historical heritage and presents an innovative accommodation concept linking guesthouse to museum.

In all, seven rooms are spread out between the original house, called the Kraal in reference to its architecture resembling a traditional African farm, the cottage added a few years later, and the modern wing built in 2010 used

A museum retracing Gandhi’s experiences in South Africa and particularly those that he shared here with his friend Kallenbach is installed in the very heart of the house. In this way, a peaceful and meditative atmosphere channeling Gandhi’s life within these walls inhabits the property.

Even as Gandhi’s adventure in South Africa started in Durban, Johannesburg witnesses his main struggles. The Satyagraha House is thus a place that left its imprint on the life of the Mahatma.