LUCKNOW, April 19 -- A short detour off the Ring Road, along narrow trails cutting through wheat fields and overgrown bushes, leads to a forgotten relic of Awadh's past - crumbling, silent, yet not entirely abandoned.

The Kakrabad mosque, also known as Almas ki Masjid, is an 18th-century structure believed to have been built in 1776 during the reign of Asaf-ud-Daula. Today, it stands in a state of alarming decay. Located barely 11-12 km from the city, the mosque remains undocumented and largely unknown even to officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the state archaeology department, and the Waqf Board. A cursory online search yields only a handful of posts highlighting its deteriorating condition.

Only one of four minaret...