The long walk without breakfast on that summer morning left them hungry and thirsty, so Baba sent two of the mandali to the village to bring what they could. A carpenter named Gungaram Pawar supplied them with simple millet bread and a bucket to draw water from the nearby well. The old man would become Baba's first disciple from Arangaon, as well as His first Christian follower. Baba gave him the nickname, “Ajoba” which means, “respected old man.”

That evening, Baba and the mandali began staying in the Post Office building near the railway line. During those first short stays at Meherabad, Baba and the mandali would reside in this stonewall structure that was built by the British for the army camp. The 18 by 30 foot building had three windows in the south wall and a single door in the north wall.

When Baba and the mandali returned to Meherabad in April of 1924, Baba ordered a hut to be built near one of the few trees away from the road. With the help of the old carpenter and his crew from Arangaon, and a mason from Ahmednagar, the mandali worked as laborers. Baba worked alongside the others making sure the job was done according to His requirements, and the Jhopdi, which means hut, was completed within 10 days. It was also called “Agra-kuti”, which means, “first hut” being the first new building Baba had constructed at Meherabad. After the construction of the Jhopdi was completed, Baba had the mandali plant chameli and other shrubs around it. An orchard was planted to the south, and the whole area was enclosed by a wire fence with teakwood posts to protect it from livestock. Today there is a gate in the exact location of the original.

Now that Baba had a place of residence or ‘seat’, the mandali wanted a flag to mark it. On April 23, a debate took place. The Hindu’s wanted orange or red; the Muslims claimed that green was better, but the Zoroastrians didn’t like either color. So Baba settled the issue by proposing that the flag be of seven colors; the bottom should be red and the top sky blue. The other five colors were left for the mandali to decide. Dina Talati sewed the flag that day and before sunset it was hoisted for the first time near the Jhopdi.

The Jhopdi was Baba's personal quarters during this time, which He also used for seclusion work and darshan programs during the 1920s and early 1930s. During the early seclusions, one of the men mandali would be stationed outside as a watchman under one of the windows, and Baba would communicate with him by knocking on the window and passing notes through it. Baba would do everything inside the Jhopdi, including bathing and eating. Baba lived very simply here, keeping His bedding on the floor and sweeping the room Himself.

The greatest significance of this building is that Meher Baba began His long silence here. Baba had sometimes observed silence for short periods during His seclusions in the Jhopdi. But in June 1925, He informed His followers that He was planning to keep silence for one year, or until His work was completed. Pandoba, a teacher at the Hazrat Babajan School was disturbed by Baba's intention to keep silence for a long period. So he asked Baba, “But Master, how will you teach us?" Baba replied, “I have come not to teach, but to awaken.” (Lord Meher) This very significant quote is etched on the marble of His Tomb-Shrine.

After giving detailed instructions to all of the many residents of Meherabad, and reminding them to fulfill their duties with absolute attentiveness, Baba entered the hut, speaking for the last time on the evening of July 9th. (His silence however, continued for 43 and a half years until He dropped His body on January 31st, 1969.)

On the morning of July 10th, Baba came out of the Jhopdi and after having His bath, made His usual inquiries to the Mandali through writing. As time went by, the mandali were surprised that Baba was able to maintain silence, since He used His beautiful voice to sing and speak to them so often. In the beginning Baba used pencil and paper or a slate with chalk to communicate. Only three days after beginning His Silence, Meher Baba began writing what has become known as “The Book” in the Jhopdi. On January 2nd 1927, Baba gave up writing except for His signature, and began using an English alphabet board. He also gave that up on October 7th, 1954, and began to communicate then through His own unique system of hand gestures and expressions. This little building and its premises were also used for darshan programs during the 1920s and early 1930s, and occasionally throughout the years as mandali quarters, the homeopathic dispensary, and for special purposes during meetings.