A chariot, a word, a world: The cultural voyage of 'juggernaut'

INDIA has given many words to the English language. But perhaps none as weighty as 'juggernaut'.

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Derived from Lord Jagannath, the word goes back to the early 19th century to mean any large and overpowering force or object an allusion to the massive chariot of Lord Jagannath that is pulled by pilgrims every year across a three-kilometre journey in an annual spectacle of devotion in Puri. This year's yatra, which started on June 27, will culminate on July 5.

Along with juggernaut, Indian languages have embellished English with many other words such as shampoo, mulligatawny soup, cummerbund, Jodhpurs and dacoit.

According to researcher and historian Anil Dhir, the word juggernaut is the collision between two forces, an encounter between two worlds: the English-speaking West and India.

"Rev Claudius Buchanan was the first British official to popularise the word 'juggernaut' in both Britain and the United States in the early 1800s. Buchanan was an Anglican chaplain stationed in India and a staunch supporter of Christian missions to India," Dhir told PTI.

The reverend used the word with a negative connotation.

"He viewed the word 'juggernaut' as something dangerous, violent, and a bloody religious cult. This is because in the 1800s many people committed suicide after coming under the wheels of Lord Jagannath's chariots during the Rath Yatra festival," he added.