High regard
(media.scored.co)
White river
brown river
brown river
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Those look like the [Burning Ghats](https://images.pexels.com/photos/19272041/pexels-photo-19272041.jpeg) on the distant shore, where Hindus go to have their bodies burned and dumped in the drinking water in the hopes it will end the miserable cycle of karmic reincarnation.
Many poor Hindus spend their last Rupee getting to Varanasi before dying in the street where their remains are eaten by monkeys and feral dogs.
They also urinate, defecate, bathe and wash clothes in that water.
To be fair, I don't remember ever seeing so much litter in the water.
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Pro-tip #1: Iodine tablets (water treatment) are your best friend in Varanasi.
Pro-tip #2: if you see monkeys fighting over something, just pretend it's a piece of fruit.
Pro-tip #3: If you see piles of clothing rags in the street, don't get curious about it.
Pro-tip #4: you'll see wild dogs with their brains exposed or dragging their intestines through the streets. Hindus believe in karma and reincarnation where suffering helps you climb the spiritual ladder in the next life. This is why they don't kill humans or animals that are horrifically suffering. They believe providing comfort will sabotage their happiness in the next life.
Interesting: Mother Teresa is widely criticized for her missionary work in Varanasi because the condition of her shelters were horrible. Most people don't understand giving sick and dying Hindus a place to wait for death out of the sun, on wooden beds where drinking water and basic rations, was all that most Hindus would accept because their culture believes comforts will sabotage their next life. The Indian government was so impressed by Mother Teresa's missionary work that they started accepting foreigners into Varanasi in the 1970s.