New Delhi, Jan.4 : A number of people in the national capital staged protest at the Embassy of Nepal on Sunday to protest against the removal of the Indian priests from the famous Pashupatinath temple.

Agitated protestors shouted slogans against the Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. An effigy of Prachanda was also burnt.

Protesters accused the Nepalese Government of hurting Hindu sentiments by appointing Nepalese national as priest at the ancient temple.

"By staging this protest, we want to send a message to the Nepaleseovernment through the Nepalese Embassy that this is an attempt to hurt our culture and hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus in India. Pashupatinath Temple is visited by hundreds of Hindus from across the globe every year. They are playing with the sentiments of all those, we are hurt and we want that the Indian priests should be reappointed at the earliest," said Jai Bhagwan Goel, one of the protesters.

For centuries the chief priest of the Pashupatinath Temple was appointed by temple authorities with approval of the king of Nepal from high caste Hindus from neighbouring India.

Daily worship and religious functions at the centuries-old Pashupatinath Temple have been disrupted since last week amidst some priests' protesting over the replacement of Indian priests with Nepali national.

Hindu organisations in Kathmandu, have also been protesting against the removal of the priests.