A juggernaut (/ˈdʒʌɡərnɒːt/ JUG-ər-not), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as mercilessly destructive and unstoppable. This usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century as an allegorical reference to the Hindu Ratha Yatra temple cars of Jagannath Temple, Puri, which apocryphally was reputed to crush devotees under its wheels.