Adjoining the eastern wall of Dwarkamai is what was, until 1999, a parayana hall, or reading room (the entrance is outside the mosque around the left-hand corner as you come out). When Sai Baba was living in Dwarkamai, there was a collection of sheds where the current building now stands, part of which was used as a school. Madhav Rao Deshpande, alias "Shama" (Baba's nickname for him) was a teacher there. He was one of Baba's earliest devotees and became one of the most intimate. Shama reported that there was a small window in the dividing wall through which he sometimes used to peep at Baba and "I realized that he had remarkable powers and began to have faith in him."

Old Parayana Hall

The ardent devotee, Radhakrishnayi, who was instrumental in developing Baba's Sansthan, probably stayed in one of these sheds when she first came to Shirdi. Baba used to send visitors to her and referred to her room as "the school". Abdul Baba also lived here for a while. In the few years before Baba's mahasamadhi, part of the building was used as a stable for Shyam Sunder, Baba's celebrated and beloved horse. It was built with the money donated (500 rupees) by a grateful Sakharam Aurangabad-kar from Sholapur, whose wife had given birth to their first child after twenty-seven years of marriage, once she had resorted to Sai Baba.

New Parayana Hall

The building is now used as a store room and a new Parayana Hall on the west side (beside Lendi Gardens) has been built as part of the new complex. It is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m and on all days and through out night on festival days like Ramanavami, Gurupurnima and Vijayadashami.

Baba's Portrait with "Aum":

After His Mahasamadhi Baba gave darshan in the dream of Ambaram Lalbhai Kahar of Navasari in the year 1953. The dream had a tremendous effect on Ambaram, the artist. Then Ambaram painted this portrait of Baba that he got from his dream vision. The painting is 6’ by 4’ of Baba sitting on the stone posture. There is also a gigantic Aum  behind Baba.

Ambaram gifted this painting to the Avatar Meher Baba Centre in Navasari. Before this painting was brought to Shirdi, it was placed for public darshan in Navasari. For two days the devotees performed akahand naam jaap of Baba, and simultaneously they had Bhajans throughout the day and night.

The villagers of Navasari were attracted to this portrait and the enchanting leelas of Baba. So they collected subscriptions and got the painting framed. Then after performing puja they brought it to Shirdi in procession and gifted it to the Sansthan.

The Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan first proposed to keep this portrait over Baba’s Samadhi in the Samadhi Mandir. But as Baba’s Idol was being sculpted, this portrait was placed in the Chavadi. It was placed in the place where Baba used to sit during the Shej Arati and Kakad Arati. The Pujari of the Chavadi used to do Alankar daily with Ashtagandh.

This Photograph is now moved to the New Parayan Hall on the west side (beside Lendi Gardens).