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From Intro:
Strabo's Geography on Ganga: indeed it is sufficiently agreed that the
  Ganges is the largest of known rivers on the three continents.

Arrian: [All the many rivers of Asia], even if united, would not be fit to be
  compared in volume of water w the ordinary Indian river, and much less w the
  greatest of them all, the Ganges. 12

Water of Immortality

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, Travels in India (1676)
Every day large numbers of Brahmans are to be seen going to the clearest
parts of the river to fill round, small-mouthed, earthen pots., which hold
abt a bucketful... [The chief priest] directs the mouth to be covered w a
very fine cloth of fire-colour, in three or four folds, upon which he applies
his seal.  The Brahmans carry this water at the end of a stick, flat like a
lath, from which hang six cords, each [carrying a pot].  They rest themselves
by changing the shoulder frequently, and they sometimes travel three or four
hundred leagues of country w this load, and then sell it, or make a present
of it, but only to the richest persons, from whom they expect a liberal
reward.   These idolaters, [at marriages], drink this water at a cost of 400
or 500 ecus.  It is drunk only at the end of the repast, as we drink hypocras
or muscat in Europe.  The principal reason why the water of the Ganges is so
highly esteemed, is that it never becomes bad...
[At marriages] the chief outlay is on Ganges water, for those who are
sometimes 300 or 400 leagues distant from the river.  16

Mark Twain: Following the Equator, 1897
Experiments on Ganges water: Mr. Henkin, govt scientist at Agra, went to
Benares and made his tests.  He got water out of the mouths of the sewers
where they empty into the river at the bathing-ghats; a cubic cm of it
contained millions of germs; at the end of six hours they were all dead.
He caught a floating corpse, towed it to shore, and fromm beside it dipped up
water that was swwarming with cholera germs; at the end of six hours they
were all dead.  19

Abul Fazl, Ain-i-Akbari, tr. H. Beveridge 1907

His Majesty calls it 'the water of immortality', and has committed the care
of this dept to proper persons.  He does not drink much, but pays much
attention to the matter.  Both at home and on travels he drinks Ganges
water.  Some trustowrthy persons are stationed on the banks of that river,
who dispatch the wwater in sealed jars.  When the court was at the capital
Agra and Fathpurr, the water came from the district of Sroun, but now that
his Majesty is in the Panjab, the water is brought from Hardwar. 20

Francois Bernier, _Travels in the Mogul Empire 1656-1668 (1891)
my Navaab has w marked kindness ordered that a new loaf of his household
bread, and a sourai of Ganges watter (with which, like every person
attached to the court, he has laden several camels) should be presented to me
every morning.  A sourai is that tin flagon of water, covered with red
cloth... 22

[commentary: even the bigoted Aurangzeb drank Ganga water. ]

Ibn Batuta, 1325-1354, tr. H.A.R. Gibb (1971)

[Description of the Barid, Postal Service].  The postal service in India is
of two kinds.  The horse-post, which they call ulaq, consists of horses
belonging to the Sultan [with relays] every four miles.  The service of
couriers of foot has within the space of each mile three relays, which they
call dawa, the dawa being a third of a mile, and a mile is called by them
kuruh.  At every third of a mile there is an inhabited village, outside which
there are three pavilions.  In these sit men girded up ready to move off,
each of whom has a rod two cubits long w copper bells at the top.  When a
courier leaves the town he takes the letter in the fingers of one hand and
the rod with bells in the other, and runs w all his might.  The men in the
pavilions, on hearing the bells, get ready to meet him and [take the letter]
running with all his might and shaking his rod until the next dawa.  This
post is quicker than the mounted post, and they often use it to transport
fruits from Khurasan which are regarded as great luxuries in India, the
couriers put them on [woven baskets like] plates and carry them w great speed
to the Sultan.  [criminals are similarly carried on a stretcher].  Likewise
they bring the Sultan's drinking water when he resides at Dawlat Abad,
carrying it from the river which is at a distancce of forty days' journey
from there. 23

The Ganges [water] is much esteemed for its medicinal properties, and is on
this account drank by many Mahommedans.  In 1792, Abdul Hakeem, the reigning
Nabob of Shahnoor near the west coast of India, although a Mahommedan, never
drank any other water.  - W. Hamilton, 24
A geographical, statistical, and historical description of Hindustan 1820

blurb

Ganga, the river, has caught the imagination of the multitude of foreign
visitors to the country through the ages. Travellers of different
nationalities and religions visiting India from abroad could not but take
note of the Ganga. They have left fascinating accounts of the river scene
observed for over two millennia. The information provided by them is vast
and varied, and we find detailed and delightful descriptions of customs and
ceremonies, periodical fairs and festivals, flora and fauna and picturesque
spots and pilgrimage centres which they came across in the course of their
travels along the Ganga.

Besides exhaustive extracts from the foreign travellers' accounts included
in this anthology, the book is also illustrated with some of the
fascinating sketches of the river scene made by the landscape artists among
them as they went up and down the river.