The ancient temple had remained locked since 1978 after the communal riots that led to the displacement of the local Hindu community in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

Officials said a Hanuman statue and a Shivling were found at the temple in Khaggu Sarai area, not far from the Shahi Jama Masjid where a court had ordered a survey last month.

Police personnel were deployed outside the Lord Shiv and Hanuman temple which reopened after 1978 and a prayer ceremony (aarti) was performed on Sunday morning

Vishnu Shankar Rastogi, an 82-year-old patron of the Nagar Hindu Mahasabha, said, 'I have lived in Khaggu Sarai since my birth. After the 1978 riots, our community was forced to migrate from the area.

According to Vishnu Shankar Rastogi, an 82-year-old patron of the Nagar Hindu Mahasabha, the temple was central to the Rastogi community before the riots forced around 25–30 Hindu families to migrate.

Officials said they ‘stumbled’ upon the temple during an anti-encroachment drive in the Khaggu Sarai area near the Shahi Jama Masjid.

A Lord Shiv and Hanuman temple in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district, closed since 1978, has reopened after authorities discovered it during an anti-encroachment drive. The temple premises have been cleaned,

The Sambhal administration on Friday reopened a temple that had been locked since 1978 following communal riots in the area.

The Sambhal temple, which houses Lord Shiva and Hanuman, was discovered by authorities during an anti-encroachment drive.

The reopening has brought back memories for the local community, many of whom shared their ancestral ties to the temple.

Weeks after four people died in violence over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in this Uttar Pradesh district, the administration has launched a campaign to tackle encroachments and power theft in areas around the Mughal-era mosque.