{ Jag"an*nath (?), Jag`an*na"tha (?),
n. Also Jug"ger*naut}. [Hind. Jagan-
nāth lord of the world, Skr. jagannātha.]
(Hinduism) 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.
{ Jag"an*nath (?), Jag`an*na"tha (?),
n. Also Jug"ger*naut}. [Hind. Jagan-
nāth lord of the world, Skr. jagannātha.]
(Hinduism) 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.