An unstoppable force or massive, powerful entity that crushes everything in its path. Can refer to literal vehicles or metaphorical forces like corporations or movements.
From Hindi जगन्नाथ (Jagannāth) meaning 'Lord of the Universe', a title of the Hindu deity Krishna worshipped in Puri, Odisha. British observers of the annual Rath Yatra festival described the massive temple car carrying the deity's statue, leading to the metaphorical use in English by the early 19th century.
This word comes from a sacred Hindu festival where a massive temple car carries the deity Jagannath through the streets! British colonials misunderstood the religious procession and created a myth about devotees throwing themselves under the wheels, leading to our modern meaning of an unstoppable destructive force.
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