Jagannatha is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with his (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, Purushottama, and the Para Brahman. To most Vaishnava Hindus, particularly the Krishnaites, Jagannath is an abstract representation of Krishna, or Vishnu, sometimes as the avatar of Krishna or Vishnu. To some Shaiva and Shakta Hindus, he is a symmetry-filled tantric form of Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation.
Jagannatha idol in 2011
Statue of Jagannatha at Bhubaneswar, 2015
Jagannath icons are produced from wood. They are replaced every 8 or 12 or 19 years. Above: logs in transport to prepare the Jagannath icon.
2007 Jagannath Chariot Festival in Puri, Odisha
A juggernaut, in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was the early rendering in English of Jagannath, an important deity in the Hinduism of north-east India.
The Car of Juggernaut, as depicted in the 1851 Illustrated London Reading Book
The festival (2007) in Jagannatha Temple, Odisha
Juggernaut cart in the Ulsoor temple complex in Bangalore, India, around 1870
