Ahe Dayamaya Biswa Bihari is a poem in the Oriya language

Oriya language

Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...

, by the Oriya

Oriya people

The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...

 writer Ramakrushna Nanda

Ramakrushna Nanda

Ramakrushna Nanda was born in small village in Orissa called Bairoi. An exponent of children’s literature, he composed the song "Ahe Dayamaya Biswa Bihari", which was reportedly a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi while he was at Sabarmati ashram...

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The poem was reportedly a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...

 while he was at Sabarmati ashram

Ashram

Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....

. This song was included in his Oriya text book Sahitya Sopana, and went on to become the most popular song in Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

due to its simplicity and beauty.

In 2009, a controversial version of the poem was circulated in Orissa on cassette tape, with angry reactions from fans of the poem.