Nepal PM says withdraws temple priest appointment

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda said on Wednesday he had cancelled the appointment of the new chief priest of one of the holiest Hindu shrines in Kathmandu, bowing to days of protests by junior priests.

Prayers at the centuries-old Pashupatinath Temple have been disrupted since last week, when two new Nepali priests were chosen by the nation's Maoist-led coalition government to replace the Indian priests, including the main priest, who resigned.

But junior priests at the temple began protesting against the appointments, saying the Maoists had ignored normal procedures in making the choice.

"I have nullified the appointments with effect from today," Prachanda told a special assembly on Wednesday.

He also directed the temple authorities to get regular prayers performed by the former priests until the new priests were duly appointed, and to maintain religious harmony.

The Pashupatinath Temple complex, a cluster of ancient pagoda-roofed structures, sits beside a small river, regarded as holy, in Kathmandu and is listed by the United Nations as a world heritage site.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims from Nepal and India throng the shrine every year.

Omraj Bhandari, a protester and junior priest, welcomed the announcement cancelling the appointment but said temple authorities must ensure the valuables of the shrine were intact.

"Regular worship and religious rites will now be performed normally," Bhandari said.