Jagannatha

This sense of time disturbs the novel's protagonist, a young Brahmin landlord called Jagannatha.

Hinduism Cast Against Modernity Chandrahas Choudhury 2011

The protagonist Jagannatha's main concern is the Holeyaru, the submissive, spectral, dark-skinned lowest caste of Bharathipura.

Hinduism Cast Against Modernity Chandrahas Choudhury 2011

Jagannatha plans to get a group of Holeyaru to enter the temple of Manjunatha and to destroy, by a dare, the long-held belief that this will provoke the deity's vengeance.

Hinduism Cast Against Modernity Chandrahas Choudhury 2011

But Jagannatha, now both insider and outsider, is convinced that the townspeople are still "embryos in the womb of God," which is why the Holeyaru "haven't yet found their voice in history."

Hinduism Cast Against Modernity Chandrahas Choudhury 2011

Devout Hindus believe if they help transport the chariot bearing Jagannatha, they will be granted the opportunity to serve him in the spiritual world.

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It's home to the 12th-century Jagannatha temple and three roughhewn (and highly sacred) wooden statues.

10 Gorgeous Pilgrimage Sites You Need to See 2009

They represent Jagannatha, an incarnation of the Hindu Lord Krishna; his brother, Balarama; and his sister, Subhadra.

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"Juggernaut" is an Anglicization of Jagannatha, and the word has since come to mean "a massive, inexorable force that crushes everything in its path."

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And if you think Jagannatha bears significance for Hindus only, you're wrong.

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Jagannatha Location: Puri, India Most frequented by: Hindus Festivals are an important part of Hinduism, and Ratha Yatra is certainly one with a lot of pull … and pulling.

10 Gorgeous Pilgrimage Sites You Need to See 2009