A makeshift shrine at a fledgling Buddhist temple has been replaced with a specially made altar.

And it has been enhanced with a new two-foot tall Buddha and 12 special statues at the Keighley Kadampa centre in Skipton Road.

The new shrine cabinet replaces the old table and miniature Buddha used by followers since the centre opened in the four-storey terrace house in December 2001.

It has been made by a Buddhist craftsman from the Losang Dagpa Buddhist Centre in Todmorden.

The new shrine has been dedicated to world peace and each of the statues - including the Buddha - has been packed with 10,000 mantras, or prayers.

"It took about ten of us months and months to fill them," said Frances Cowans, who lives at the centre led by Buddhist monk Kelsang Tsewang.

"Buddha Shakyamuni is the central figure and the statues represent other virtues like wisdom, compassion and purification. They have been painted by a renowned British Buddhist artist.

"We are delighted with the shrine because it is a wonderful focal point and it is dedicated to world peace, which is what all Buddhist communities aspire to," she said.

People were curious about what happened in a centre and were reluctant to come and inquire, she added

So they would be holding a special open day tomorrow, between 2pm and 5pm, when members would show people around the centre including the meditation room.

The Keighley centre is unusual because the building has twice been used by Buddhists. It was first opened in 1991 but was sold in the mid 90s when it became too small for the number of followers, many of whom moved to a centre in Todmorden.

But numbers grew again and when the house came on the market once more, the group bought it in December 2001

It now has branches in Skipton, Ilkley and Settle, where followers meet in Friends Meeting Houses.

Members meet in Keighley every Monday at 7.30pm and there are regular "refuge" meetings, the first stage to becoming a Buddhist.