More from Europe's Buddhist Nation

Tonight (Friday) the BBC2 program "Around the World in 80 Faiths" looks at Europe including the republic of Kalmykia, the only region in Europe where Buddhism is the dominant religion. The Republic of Kalmykia is a constituent republic of the Russian Federation situated south of the Volga on the north-western shores of the Caspian Sea. It shares its south-eastern border with Dagestan.

Temples, Buddha statues and pictures of the Dalai Lama abound in Kalmykia's capital Elista. Its Temple of Buddha Shakyamuni is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe. Visible from every part of the city, it serves as a giant centre piece around which life in the tiny capital revolves. Specialist painters from Tibet are painstakingly redecorating the temple’s interior - a process that could take another four years.

Check out our previous story on Kalmykia.