The High Sheriff of Warwickshire, the Lord Mayor of Coventry and mayors from around the county were joined by town, district and county council officials, Warwickshire's chief fire officer and representatives from businesses and community groups at the Gurdwara Sahib in Tachbrook Park Drive.

The 200 guests were shown around and given presentations on Sikhism and the building project.

The temple was opened last month after nine years of planning and at a cost of £11 million - entirely funded by the Sikh community.

The Gurdwara's communications officer Rajvinder Mann said: "The reaction we got from this group of people mirrored that of the general public - extremely positive.

"People were impressed with the high degree of professionalism demonstrated by the Gurdwara project team and all the volunteers."

Mr Mann said the event was organised to enable Leamington and Warwick's Sikh community to have an "open and honest dialogue".

He said: "By talking with and listening to each other we can better understand the others' viewpoint.

"This reception gave us the opportunity to invite various heads of public and religious organisations to share our vision and for us to listen to feedback from them."

Since the temple opened on October 25, around 2,000 people have been taken on tours of the building - and the waiting list continues to grow.

The temple's committee has been approached by Sikhs from other towns to ask what its 'secret' is.

Mr Mann said: "There is no secret - we all worked together professionally and managed the project efficiently.

"That's why the Gurdwara Sahib has been built on time and within budget.

"There is definitely a buzz in our Sikh community and we feel very proud about what we have achieved."

To book a tour, email tours@gurdwara-leamingtonandwarwick.co.uk