Footage shows how workmen still follow an ancient process to make sacred metal bowls that Buddhist monks collect donations in.

The technique has been developed over hundreds of years and metalsmiths still use it in the neighbourhood of Baan Bat in Bangkok, Thailand. The area, near to Chinatown, is one of the oldest in the Thai capital. It also known as the Ban Bat community, or Soi Ban Bat, the Monk's Bowl Village.

Skilled craftsman - many of whom learned from previous generations - bash pieces of metal into bowls using only their hands and a hammer. They then weld the joints together before polishing them to create a shiny finish.

The hand-made alms bowls are purchased from the workmen by Buddhist devotees and then donated to monks in the temples.

Thailand's primary religion is Buddhism, with an estimated 95 per cent of the population classing themselves as Buddhist.