About 200 Hindu priests had been gathering in Bhopal, India for the last six weeks, praying round-the-clock.

But the ceremony has ended in a free-for-all brawl, with local residents joining in the fighting.

The priests were apparently angry that they had not been paid for their services, police said.

On Thursday, several priests protested by setting fire to the tents used for the event.

Premature end

Several residents, who were said to be tired of prayers being constantly blasted out of loudspeakers, then stormed into the field and started beating the priests.

Police broke up the riot using wooden clubs.

Several people were hurt but none of the injuries were serious, police said.

The prayer ceremony, which had been promoted by the country's ruling Hindu nationalists and opposition parties, only had three more days to run.

Instead, the event has ended in acrimony, leaving an estimated $4,200 (200,000 rupees) worth of damage to the venue.

The priests did not damage the central tent in the field, which featured Hindu idols.