Kathmandu, Dec 22: A Buddhist monk from Tibet is on a new religious adventure -- trying to crawl all the way to India.

Gyansen Lama, who in his 20s, began his bizarre journey from Tibet 18 months ago to express his devotion to the Buddha, the founder of the world's fastest growing religion, advocating moderation and non-violence.

Covering seven kilometres daily on an average, the monk first came to Boudha in Kathmandu, renowned for its Buddhist stupa, and from there began the arduous journey to southern Nepal.

He has currently reached Jitpur town in Bara village near the Indian border, the Kathmandu Post said.

Lama's goal is to reach Bodh Gaya in India's Bihar state where Buddha attained enlightenment.

Lama is accompanied by two more monks and hopes to complete the odyssey in another six to seven months.

Crowds gathered on Jitpur's streets to watch the curious spectacle of the monk prostrating himself and then going ahead at snail's pace.

To survive the ordeal, he wraps his body in sacks and dons wooden gloves on his hands.

"We were taken aback by his crawling," a local told the Post. "It totally puzzled us."