In a typical mosque, people can offer their prayers while standing in several rows or "katars,"  and the number of rows depends on the size of the mosque.

The bigger a mosque is, the more rows of religious devotees it can accommodate.

However, a surprise awaits someone who visits the "Ek Katar Masjid" or "One Row Mosque" in the Hajipara village of Goral Union at Kaliganj upazila in Lalmonirhat, as they will find the mosque has space for only one row, from which the mosque's name stems.

The mosque, which accommodates no more than 13 to 14 worshippers in its single row, looks pleasant both on the outside and inside, standing as a testament to the craftsmanship of its makers.

The small yet beautiful architectural landmark stands as a silent relic of history, with its origins shrouded in mystery.

No one can say how many years ago or in which year the three-domed mosque was built. However, based on its construction style and ancient craftsmanship, locals believe the mosque was erected some 500 years ago, during the reign of the Mughal dynasty.

As one approaches the majestic mosque, they will find an ancient grave on its left and a minaret of the Shia community on its right. Locals believe that the grave belongs to the person who built it.

Each feature of the mosque's structure holds the imprint of generations past, and its interior is adorned with exquisite craftsmanship that speaks volumes of the artisans' expertise. To witness this majestic structure, people regularly come from different nearby places.

Local lore, passed down through generations, intertwines with the mosque's history.

Moslem Uddin, 80, a resident of the village, recalled how the mosque has remained unchanged since his childhood.

"I got a similar description of this mosque from my grandfather. The mosque looked the same during his childhood as well. My grandfather also could not tell who constructed the mosque or when it was constructed. Perhaps it was initially built as a private sanctuary to offer prayers, hence, it has only one row," he said while talking to this newspaper.

Despite its limited capacity, the mosque serves as a spiritual sanctuary where villagers visit to this day to say their daily prayers.

Golam Mostafa, another local, told The Daily Star that they pray in this mosque every day.

While many go to other mosques to pray due to a lack of space here, prayers are regularly offered here without issue, he said.

"Even though we require more space to accommodate more people, we can't demolish this one to build a new mosque or renovate it ourselves due to the mosque's historic value. This historic mosque needs to be preserved," he added.

"We are grateful to our forefathers, as they did not destroy the mosque despite not knowing its historical significance. We also want to keep this historical establishment alive so that future generations can also witness it like we and our forefathers did, said Nuruzzaman Ahmed, another resident of the village.

While the mosque is not in a bad shape, authorities need to take measures to preserve the structure, he added.

Firoz Quader, president of the mosque management committee, said due to the archaeological importance of 'Ek Katar Masjid', no renovation work was ever undertaken.

"We will contact the Department of Archaeology to preserve the ancient and historic mosque. If they take measures to preserve the mosque, then we will build a new mosque for saying our prayers. Constructing a new mosque has become necessary anyway due to the increased number of worshippers," he said.

Contacted, Nurul Amin, chairman of Goral Union Parishad, said, "It's necessary to preserve this ancient mosque and its craftsmanship so that future generations can know about it. If the Department of Archaeology comes forward, we will hand the mosque over for its preservation."