Part of the reason the location is ideal is that the temperature during winter stays cold enough to maintain this "frozen desert scenery."
Published Feb. 21, 2022 5:28 PM EST | Updated Feb. 22, 2022 8:30 AM EST
During winter, inside the cold Himalaya Mountains shines the frozen Zanskar River. A group of ice artists has decided to take this already beautiful landscape and turn it into something even more spectacular.
Artists from the Kangsing Collective, a group that bills itself as an international snow and ice sculpting team, began using the ice taken from the Zanskar River to sculpt stunning ice sculptures. Located along a popular winter hiking trail, the river and ice structures rest 11,000 feet above sea level.
Using chainsaws, artists could be seen cutting blocks from the area to assemble their creations. Several artists helped chip in to construct what they have described as a "mini colosseum," which resembles the famous Flavian Ampitheatre in Rome, the largest amphitheater ever built.
The mini colosseum is nowhere near the size of the Roman Colosseum -- it stands slightly higher than the average person, but, particularly given that it's sculpted from river ice, its resemblance to the iconic amphitheater is uncanny.
And the Roman Colosseum is not the only famous structure the group plans to replicate in ice. The creators' dream of emulating the famous Jukkasjarvi ice hotel in Sweden one day. Other cool creations the artists sculpted the ice include a cafeteria and a sauna.
An ice artist uses a chainsaw to cut blocks. (AFP)
The sculptures are constructed next to the aptly-named village Chilling, Ladakh, located in northern India.
The group chose the spot because of its lack of sunshine, which helps the ice sculptures last longer. Cold icy winds also help keep the temperatures in the area a frigid 2 degrees to 4 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
But Kangsing Collective isn't letting the bitter cold prevent people from observing the winter creations.
With help from the local government, the group was able to install a sauna so people can warm up after taking a look at their creations. The temperature of the sauna is able to rise to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Wonderful and invigorating. You don’t feel the cold at all,” local policeman Tundup Gyaltsan told AFP of his visit.
One of the ice sculptures built from river ice high in the Himalayas. (AFP)
The ice building is part of a seven-day Chader Trek, which takes place along the frozen Zanskar River surface through what's called "frozen desert scenery," according to AFP. For the last two years, the scenery was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The art was inspired by China's Harbin International Ice Festival, which is the largest ice festival in the world. The artists of the Kangsing Collective hope one day their sculptures will be visited by international artists and tourists, just like the artists in the Harbin International Ice Festival.
"We're thinking we might have a festival big enough, grand enough like Harbin International Festival, something where we can ask artists from all over the world to come and participate," group member Tashi told AFP.
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