When we casually use the word “Juggernaut” to imply the dictionary meaning of “a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force”, we may not realise its (gory) origin. The etymology of the word as seen in this picture of the artefact kept on the ground floor of Phoenix Market city, Chennai traces it back to “Jagannath”, as in God Jagannath of Puri (“lord of the world”).
It is said that the British colonialists who witnessed the Rath Yatra festival were horrified by the sight of people voluntarily falling and getting crushed by the gigantic chariot wheels in an effort to attain Moksha. The British began to use the word “juggernaut” to describe any large and powerful force that is unstoppable and destructive.
L N Tallur’s Artwork of Juggernaut from Puri Jagannath Temple car
#PuriJagannadh #English_is_Weird
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