Where did the word 'Juggernaut' originate from??

In the land of temples, there is the Jagannath Puri Temple also referred to as the White Pagoda. With the spire reaching a height of 65 meters it's the tallest temple in Orissa & also referred to as the 'White Pagoda.' A grand car festival is held each year at Puri where the idols `residing' inside the temple - Balabhadra, Subadra & Lord Jagannath are taken outside in huge chariots & led through a three kilometer long procession on the streets of Puri. Half a million devotees throng the site for a view of the deities.

The well embellished chariot of Lord Jagannath is the largest having 18 wheels, each two meters in diameter & 45.6 feet in height. Close to 4000 people are needed to pull or draw the chariot with the three kilometer journey taking as much as 24 hours. The chariots are taken to the Gundicha Temple where the idols are kept for nine days before being brought back to the Jagannath Temple. Some worshippers have in the past thrown themselves under these wheels to die a blessed death. It is said the word `juggernaut' is derived from these mammoth chariots.

L'orient Travels offers a special package for Orissa during the festival & the winter months. Email us at: hector.dsouza1@gmail.com or lorienttravels1@gmail.com

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