Why did Amir Shakkar have to stay in the Chavadi, and what were the conditions like there?

Amir Shakkar, who was afflicted by rheumatism, sought a remedy from Sai Baba. As Chapter 22 explains, Baba's unconventional cure was to instruct him to stay steadily in the Chavadi. The conditions there were deplorable; the building was old, dilapidated, and filled with garbage and seventeen knee-deep holes. It was home to lizards and scorpions, and lepers also stayed there. The environment was characterized by dampness from below, rain from above, and a constant draft. Despite Amir's misery, Baba's word was final, and he had to endure this 'pilgrimage of a lifetime' as his prescribed medicine.