Kismat Maria Mosque (Bengali: কিসমত মারিয়া মসজিদ) is the academic name, it is an ancient mosque located at the village of Maria, Durgapur Upazila of Rajshahi District in Bangladesh. Local people know this mosque as Durgapur mosque (দুর্গাপুর মসজিদ). It is totally unknown about any sort of historical information. No inscription available at the doorway or anywhere. Even the government doesn’t have any document or info regarding this. To add insult to the injury, the local people cannot remember anything about this mosque either. It’s a total mystery. Built-in c. 1500, the monument is listed by the Department of Archaeology. This heritage is located at village Maria under Durgapur Upazila (sub-district). The mosque is a single-aisle structure, built on a high plinth or platform. There are three arched doorways on the eastern side, three shallow mihrabs (niches) on the western wall, four octagonal towers in the four corners, and an open verandah in front of the mosque. There are three domes on the top. The mosque is similar to Kamalapur Mosque at Gaurnadi in Barishal. It is a small mosque of rectangular shape. There are three entrances to the mosque and with three mihrabs, built directly above each entrance. There is a two-story small building by the mosque (to south) known as Bibir Ghor. The mosque is still using for Jumah prayer on Friday. Like other old mosques, the Kismat Maria mosque also bears the Islamic architectural tradition of terracotta ornamentation. It is adorned mostly by stucco decorations. The mosque is not remarkably a large one. Also, there is no water reservoir near it, unlike other mosques in Bengal.
The mosque is a protected site of the Department of Archaeology (DOA). The DOA should take steps to preserve the mosque as it is an important heritage structure of the Rajshahi region. Local people do not know its background and no information board is also provided by the Department of Archeology too. According to local people, there was a giant snake in the mosque. This place can easily be visited from Rajshahi city. The history of the “Kismat Maria Mosque” still remains a mystery.
