The English
Word Juggernaut, which means ‘a massive inexorable force that seems to crush
everything in its way’, is derived from the name of Lord Jagannatha. Actually
from the Puri Jagannath chariot procession. The chariots pulled during the Puri
Jagannath Rath Yatraare really huge and earlier people used to get
crushed under the big wheels while pulling it. Friar Odoric, a Franciscan
missionary, witnessed one such accident in 14th century and wrote about the
huge chariot in a European journal.
Christian
Missionaries have contempt for all cultures and the description that Friar
Odoric gave of Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra was of one that evokes fear and
contempt. He wrote that people jumped in front of the chariot and performed an
act of human sacrifice. People began to associate large objects that could not
be controlled with the chariots mentioned by Friar Odoric. The word developed a
negative undertone.
The word
Juggernaut is a mispronunciation of the name of Lord Jagannath plus the result
of the wrong spelling entered by Friar Odoric.
Read More About These Topics:
No comments:
Post a Comment