The Satyagraha house in Orchards, Johannesburg, home of Mohandas Gandhi from 1908 to 1909, has been turned into a seven-room guest house and museum.

Within the Satyagraha house walls, the future Mahatma created and developed his philosophy of passive resistance

Within the Satyagraha house walls, the future Mahatma created and developed his philosophy of passive resistance: Satyagraha in Sanskrit, 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 overseen have been carried out by a team comprising a historian, a curator, an architect and two interior designers. They have restored the original spirit of the house, bringing back an important page in the history of both South Africa and Mohandas 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.

A museum retracing Gandhi’s experiences in South Africa and particularly those that he shared with his friend Kallenbach is installed in the very heart of the house.

“In this way, a peaceful and meditative atmosphere channelling Gandhi’s life within the walls inhabits the property,” said a spokesman for the museum.