 According to scholar Günther-Dietz Sontheimer, the legend of Banai has close parallels with the story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala from the Hindu epic "Mahabharata".The tale of another folk god Mhaskoba (Bhairava) to gain his wife Balurani or Balai despite obstacles is also similar to Khandoba's endeavour to win over Banai.Banai does not appear in the "Malhari Mahatmya" originating from the Brahmin (high-priest caste) tradition, which glorifies Khandoba as Shiva and de-emphasizes his earthly connections.