About This House
Where Ba’s Story Began
A short walk from Kirti Mandir, through the old city’s back alleys, stands the parental house of Kasturba Gandhi - born Kasturba Gokuldas Kapadia on 11 April 1869, a few months before Mohandas, and in the same town. Her father Gokuldas Kapadia was a prosperous merchant and a friend of Karamchand "Kaba" Gandhi.
Betrothed at Seven
The two families sealed the children’s betrothal in their seventh year; the wedding followed in 1882, when both were thirteen.
A Fighter in Her Own Right
Founder-resident of the Phoenix Settlement (1904), jailed with hard labour in the 1913 South Africa protests, and arrested again in the 1942 Quit India movement.
The Final Sacrifice
Kasturba died in British detention at the Aga Khan Palace, Pune, on 22 February 1944.
The Heritage Walk
Kirti Mandir, Gandhi’s ancestral haveli, then Ba’s home - the joint starting point of two lives that changed India.
Kasturba’s Life
From Porbandar to the World
1869
Born in Porbandar
Kasturba Kapadia is born on 11 April to merchant Gokuldas Kapadia and Vrajkunwerba, months before Mohandas Gandhi.
1882
Marriage at Thirteen
Kasturba and Mohandas marry; she later travels with him through every chapter of the struggle.
1904–1914
South Africa Years
Helps establish the Phoenix Settlement; imprisoned with hard labour for the 1913 protests against the treatment of Indian immigrants.
1917–1942
India’s Struggle
Repeatedly courts arrest in the civil disobedience years; detained in the 1942 Quit India movement.
1944
Aga Khan Palace
Dies in detention on 22 February 1944; the nation mourns "Ba" - the mother of the movement.
The Old City Circuit
Steps Away
Getting There
Reaching Bhatia Bazar
On Foot
From Kirti Mandir
A passage from the complex leads into the old city lanes; the Kapadia home is just around the corner.
By Train
Porbandar Station ~2 km
Autos reach Bhatia Bazar easily; walk the final lanes.
Tip: do the full circuit - Kirti Mandir, the birth room marked with a swastika, then Ba’s home - in one unhurried morning.