The Chinese name for the Tree of Wisdom or the Bodhi Tree is Pei-to. This locates the place and also the people who are its worshippers. The root word for ‘Peithan’, ‘Prati-Hari’ and ‘Prati-Hara’, identifies the Hara and the Hari peoples who were then worshipping this Holy Tree that is connected Buddha’s Enlightenment.
While Prati-Hara is a biblical name that is linked to a class of priests, Pratiharis similarly are a group of hereditary priest class people who are connected with Sri Jagannath Temple at Puri.
Padhiyaris are similarly a group of priests engaged with worship of the Tri-deities and this has become a title also like ‘pratihari’.
The Periplus quoting from the Han Annals reads, ‘The land along the Nan-shan is called Nan-tau, and that along the Pei-shan is called Pei-tau(to which Hiouen Tsiang calls Pei-to). Both these provinces lie to the ‘south’ of the Pei-shan….’
The Chinese Pei-shan is same as the biblical Bashan which is connected to Gilead and forms a fertile region running parallel to the Lake of Galilee to the north of the Mt Hermon, and east to the black volcanic mountains at Jebel Druz. The Bible speaks of the fatness of the animals of Bashan, and this was the place where oak trees grew in good numbers. The forests of Bashan offered refuge to those in trouble. Bible mentions the names of cities of Og which are most important to this region. Among them are included : Salecah, and Edrei,
Ptolemy writes about the Pati Bay(Map XII) at the end point of the Taprobane island and showing it near Cape Kory and North Cape. The most important fact on this Bay is that Cape of Galliba has been shown here along with mouth of the river Ganges, Haven of the Sun, Haven of the Moon, the Great Coast(Aigialos Megas) and mouth of the river Phasi. Galiba refers to Gilgamesh of Ur in the epic Gilgamesh, and Sage Galaba of Indian puranas.