On sunday morning, after 46 years, an aarti was performed at the recently reopened historic Bhasma Shankar temple in sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. During an anti-encroachment campaign in the area, sambhal district officials happened upon the temple, which is home to Lord shiva and Hanuman. According to vishnu Sharan Rastogi, a patron of the nagar Hindu Sabha, the temple, which is believed to be 400–500 years old, has been shuttered since the communal violence of 1978. Back then, it was said to be the Rastogi community's temple. Within a kilometre of the Shahi Jama Masjid, the site of last month's unrest in sambhal, lies the centuries-old temple in the Khaggu Sarai neighbourhood. Outside the newly reopened temple, UP police officers were stationed. The temple grounds were cleansed and electrical arrangements were made before the morning pooja and aarti. "We came in the morning and cleaned the temple to perform the aarti," acharya Brahm Shukla, who led the temple's prayer ceremony, told ANI. In order for a Brahmin to remain here, he should be appointed. We shall assume responsibility until a custodian (for this temple) is chosen. CCTV cameras have also been installed for security reasons, according to officials.

Vandana Misra, the sambhal Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), declared that the temple would be returned to its original configuration and that the anti-encroachment campaign was limited to buildings constructed on public property. "We have written to the Archaeological survey of india (ASI)...Police will be deployed near the temple," she stated. district Magistrate (DM) Rajendra Pensiya stated that an old well was also uncovered at the location of the ancient temple, which was discovered by authorities. "The temple of the ancient Lord shiva is being cleaned. Over the old well, a ramp had been constructed. "The well was exposed when we disassembled the ramp," DM Pensiya stated.

Notably, a wall constructed in front of the temple had to be taken down by the district administration as part of its effort. Pensiya went on to say that the temple will be returned to the community to whom it belongs and that those who have encroached on it will data-face consequences. "I came to see the temple and performed the pooja," Rajiv Kumar Gupta, a devotee who visited the temple on sunday morning, told ANI. The age of this temple is approximately 400 years. There were dharamshalas surrounding the temple when I visited years ago. But now there are just houses left. I had seen it on whatsapp and TV. I came to view the temple as a result. This is a temple dedicated to Lord shiva and Hanuman.