Shri Gambhira Parshwanath Tirth stands in Gambhu village of Mehsana district, about 7 km from Modhera. Its moolnayak is a white idol of Parshwanath Bhagwan in padmasan, about 46 cm tall, which tradition places in the time of King Samprati. It is counted among the 108 Parshwanath tirth, and Gambhu itself, known in old texts as Gambhuta, is remembered as one of the oldest Jain towns of north Gujarat.
An ancient Jain town
By tradition Gambhu is more than 1,200 years old and older than Patan, and was once the chief town of a group of 144 villages.
Acharya Shilankacharya is said to have written his commentary on the Acharanga Sutra here in Vikram Samvat 919, and other texts are recorded as copied or composed at Gambhuta.
The town is also linked with the family of Mantri Vimal Shah: tradition says his ancestor Nina Sheth settled here after leaving Shrimal (Bhinmal), until King Vanraj Chavda invited him to the new capital at Patan.
The legend of the coin
A well-known story of the tirth tells that, long ago, whoever first opened the temple each morning found a silver coin in the hand of Gambhira Parshwanath. The accounts differ on how the miracle ended, but a coin said to be one of these is still shown at the tirth.
The temple
The two-storeyed derasar is known for its brightly painted carving of musicians, dancers and guardian figures. It has underground chambers (bhoyra), and local tradition speaks of an old tunnel towards Modhera and Patan.
A major jirnodhar (renovation) of the tirth was completed in 2025. Over the centuries several idols from Gambhu are said to have been taken to other tirth, including Palitana.