Word journey
The word juggernaut
an unstoppable force (from Jagannath, "lord of the universe")
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jagannātha | Sanskrit · Hinduism | 800 CE | lord of the universe (jagat + natha), title of Vishnu or Krishna; date is that of the Puri pilgrimage |
| Jagannātha | Odia · Hinduism | 1450 CE | the deity of the Puri temple and its chariot festival; named in the 15th-century Odia Mahabharata of Sarala Dasa (date approximate; the Dasgoba copper-plate inscription of 1198 already names Purushottama Jagannath) |
| Jaggernat | English · Hinduism | 1635 CE | the idol of Krishna drawn on an enormous cart at Puri |
| juggernaut | English | 1842 CE | a crushing, unstoppable force |
What is certain and what is not
The sense comes from the huge chariots of the Rath Yatra at Puri. European tales of pilgrims throwing themselves under the wheels go back to Odoric of Pordenone and were much exaggerated.