A particular form of Vishnu, or of Krishna, whose chief idol and worship are at Puri, in Orissa. The idol is considered to contain the bones of Krishna and to possess a soul. The principal festivals are the Snanayatra, when the idol is bathed, and the Rathayatra, when the image is drawn upon a car adorned with obscene paintings. Formerly it was erroneously supposed that devotees allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the wheels of this car. It is now known that any death within the temple of Jagannath is considered to render the place unclean, and any spilling of blood in the presence of the idol is a pollution.

One of the names under which Vishnu, in his incarnation as Krishna, is worshiped by the Hindus. See also Jagannath.

Any large, unstoppable force, power, or popular movement which defeats or destroys any person who gets in its way or attempts to stop it; as, for years the Notre Dame football team was an unstoppable juggernaut; after the early primaries, Johnson's campaign became a juggernaut, crushing all rivals.

a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way

an avatar of Vishnu

a crude idol of Krishna

a powerful, unstoppable force

An overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seems to crush everything in its path.

The term juggernaut is used to describe any literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable that will crush all in its path. In Britain, it is also used to refer to any large and heavy lorry.