Sankari Khor, Barsana: The Narrow Pass of Krishna’s Dana Leela, Its Story and How to Reach

Key takeaways

• Sankari Khor is the narrow pass between the two hills of Barsana.

• Sankari means narrow and Khor means lane; only one may pass at a time.

• Here Krishna played the toll collector in his Dana Leela with the gopis.

• He blocked the pass and demanded milk and yogurt as a playful toll.

• The rocks are said to bear his handprints and yogurt marks.

• It lies below the Barsana hills; darshan is free.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. Among the sacred pastime places of Barsana, Sankari Khor has a charm and a playfulness all its own, for it is the narrow pass between the hills where the young Krishna, acting the mischievous toll collector, would stop the gopis and demand his tax of milk and butter, in the pastime the devotees call the Dana Leela. It is a delightful and deeply loved spot, dear to those who cherish the sweet and playful love of Radha and Krishna. Here is its story, its meaning and how to reach it, told by someone from this land. See it on our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

What is Sankari Khor?

Sankari Khor, known also as Sankari Gali, is a famous narrow passage between the two great hills of Barsana, the village of Radha and its name describes it exactly: sankari means narrow and khor or gali, means a lane or passage, so Sankari Khor is the narrow lane. It is so narrow, running between the rock of the two hills, that only a single person can pass through it at a time, in single file; however lean or however large one may be, the devout say, no two people can walk through Sankari Khor side by side and this narrowness is the very heart of its famous pastime. It lies below the hills of Barsana, a short way from the Radha Rani temple and it is one of the most beloved and playful of all the pastime places of Barsana, for here Krishna played his charming Dana Leela with the gopis. The table gives the essentials at a glance.

Sankari Khor, Barsana, at a glance.

The two hills of Barsana

To understand Sankari Khor you must know the hills it runs between, for the whole of Barsana is built around them. Tradition, drawing on the Padma Purana, tells that Lord Brahma performed great austerities out of a longing to witness the pastimes of Radha and Krishna and to receive the dust of their feet upon his head and Krishna, pleased with him, granted that he manifest as the hills of Barsana. So one of the two hills is the Brahmagiri Parvat, the manifestation of Brahma and it has four peaks representing his four heads; and the other, beside it, is the Vilasa Parvat, also called the Vishnu Parvat, the manifestation of Vishnu. The four peaks bear the names Bhangarh, Managarh, Danagarh and Vilasgarh and upon the highest, Bhangarh, stood the palace of Vrishabhanu Maharaja, Radha’s father, where Radha showed her childhood pastimes and where the great Radha Rani temple stands today. Sankari Khor is the narrow passage between the Brahmagiri and the Vilasa hills and the Danagarh peak takes its very name from the Dana Leela that happened here.

The Dana Leela: Krishna the toll collector

The glory of Sankari Khor is the Dana Leela, the pastime of the tax or toll, one of the most charming and playful of all the leelas of Krishna and it happened here because of the narrowness of the pass. The gopis, the cowherd girls of Barsana, would carry their pots of milk and yogurt and butter through Sankari Khor on their way to sell them in the villages around, for it was the passage they used each day. And Krishna, with his cowherd friends, would lie in wait and block the narrow lane and acting as the dana collector, the toll man, he would demand his tax in milk and butter before he would let the gopis pass. Sometimes the girls refused and tried to push their way through and there would be a merry tug of war; sometimes Krishna took his due by force or the boys would hurl pebbles at the clay pots to break them and drink the streaming milk while the girls tried in vain to stop the holes with their hands. Day after day this delightful toll collecting went on at Sankari Khor and it is remembered as the Dana Leela, the play of the tax, the very emblem of the teasing, loving play of Krishna and the gopis.

The gopis’ revenge and Krishna’s surrender

There is a delightful further turn to the tale that pilgrims love. Having borne this daily toll and teasing long enough, the gopis one day plotted their revenge. Many of them hid themselves in the thick bushes on either side of the narrow pass, while a few walked through as usual; and when Krishna and his friends stopped these few and began their toll collecting, the hidden gopis burst out like an ambushing army, seized the cowherd boys and tied their shikhas, their locks of hair, to the branches of the trees and teased and humiliated them to their hearts’ content. The boys were freed at last only when Krishna himself and all his friends, apologised for their mischief and surrendered to the will of Radharani, whose compassion for Krishna’s plight finally released them. It is a pastime that shows the sweet reversal at the heart of the love of Braj, where even the Lord of all surrenders, laughing, to the love of Radha and her gopis.

The sacred rocks of Sankari Khor

What makes Sankari Khor so vivid to the pilgrim is that the very rocks of the narrow pass are said to bear the living marks of the Dana Leela. Upon the stones, the devout point out the lotus handprints of Sri Krishna, pressed into the rock as he leaned and played the toll man and the white spots and streaks left by the yogurt and milk that spilled from the broken pots of the gopis, still marking the stone after all the ages. Whether one beholds these as literal impressions or as the loving memory of Braj made visible, they make the pastime present and real in a way few places can, so that the pilgrim standing in the narrow pass feels the play of Krishna and the gopis all around. To commemorate the Dana Leela, devotees to this day offer milk and yogurt to the rocks of Sankari Khor, continuing the pastime in their own devotion.

Location and how to reach Sankari Khor

Sankari Khor lies at the meeting of the Brahmagiri and Vilasa hills at Barsana, in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, about one kilometre from the Barsana bus stand and about two kilometres from the Barsana Shreeji temple, the great Radha Rani temple on the hill. Barsana is about forty three kilometres from Mathura and about forty five from Vrindavan, an easy drive across the Braj countryside. Within Barsana the narrow pass is reached on foot up the hillside and local people offer motorcycle rides to the foot of it; the last stretch, being the narrow pass itself, is walked in single file. It is best seen together with the Radha Rani temple and the other pastime places of Barsana, on a day out from Mathura or Vrindavan. The table gives the distances.

Reaching Sankari Khor, Barsana. Distances are approximate; verify on the day.

It pairs naturally with the other Barsana tourist places and our Mathura Vrindavan taxi service drives you to Barsana and around its sites.

Nearby places in Barsana

Sankari Khor is best seen within a day of Barsana, for its pastime places lie close together upon and around the hills. Above stands the great Radha Rani temple, the Shreeji temple, the crowning glory of Barsana on the Bhangarh peak; below spreads the sacred forest of the Gahvar Van, made by Radha’s own hands; nearby lie the Kirti Mandir of Radha’s mother, the Pili Pokhar where Radha washed her hands, the Prem Sarovar, the lake of the tears of love and the Mor Kuti and Maan Mandir on the hills. Seen together, these make Barsana a profound and playful day of the love of Radha and Krishna and Sankari Khor, with its charming Dana Leela, is among the most delightful of them. Our Gahvar Van, Barsana and Kirti Mandir, Barsana guides cover them and the three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in Barsana with the whole of Braj.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are the most comfortable for a visit, for the pass is reached by a climb up the Barsana hillside, pleasant in the cool and hard in the summer heat and the early morning is the loveliest and most peaceful time. The great days of Barsana are Radha Ashtami, Radha’s birthday and above all the world famous Lathmar Holi of spring, when the pastime of the gopis beating the cowherd boys, so close to the spirit of Sankari Khor, is played out in joy; these are magnificent but very crowded. For a calm visit, a cool ordinary morning is ideal. Our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide has the seasons.

The honest bit

Honest words on Sankari Khor. Darshan is free and no official VIP pass exists here or anywhere in Braj. This is a sacred pastime place among the Barsana hills, delightful and playful in its story but simple and rustic in the seeing, not a grand monument, so come in the loving and cheerful spirit of the Dana Leela and it will charm you. The pass is reached by a climb up the hillside and is walked in single file through the narrow rock, so wear easy footwear, take care on the stones and the elderly and those who cannot manage the narrow climb should know this in advance. The handprints on the rocks and the yogurt marks I share as the cherished belief and memory of Braj, held dear for ages, rather than as a matter of proof. Come with a light and loving heart, offer a little milk at the rocks as the devout do and Sankari Khor will give you one of the sweetest and most playful moments in all of Barsana.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar and Barsana and its pastime places are part of my own devotional home ground. Guiding since 2018, more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars across 204 Google reviews, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. What a local brings to Sankari Khor is the way up to the narrow pass among the Barsana hills, the delightful story of the Dana Leela and the gopis’ revenge told on the very spot, the rocks and their marks pointed out, the offering of milk shown as the devout do it and the pairing of Sankari Khor with the Radha Rani temple and the other places of Barsana in the right order. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: come to Sankari Khor with the story in your heart and a smile on your face, for this is one of the most playful and joyful of all the pastime places of Braj. Walk the narrow pass in single file, as the gopis did with their pots of milk, look for the handprints and the yogurt marks on the rocks and imagine the young Krishna blocking the way with his laughing demand for his toll. Offer a little milk at the stones as the devout do and let the sweet mischief of the Dana Leela lighten your heart; those who come here in that cheerful spirit carry away a joy that the grand temples cannot give.

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Plan your Barsana visit

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build Sankari Khor and the pastime places of Barsana into your Braj trip, the pass and the temples walked in the right order, paired with the Radha Rani temple and the Kirti Mandir, with a car and a guide, for one clear price. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from Rs 5,999 per person, 4.5 stars from 204 Google reviews. Born in Gokul, Mathura.