India, May 23 -- The inventory and counting process of the Ratna Bhandar (treasure vault) of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri has been temporarily suspended and will resume in June, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said on Saturday.

According to the administration, the ongoing inventory exercise-conducted as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)-will be paused from May 24, while the counting work scheduled for May 23 will continue as planned.

Decision taken amid heatwave and devotee rush The decision to defer the next phase of the counting process has been taken in view of the intense heatwave conditions, large influx of devotees, and upcoming major rituals including Snana Purnima and the Rath Jatra preparations....