Telugu Ramayanas: Ranganatha Ramayanam, Bhaskara Ramayanam and Molla Ramayanam

Quick answer: Telugu has several classic Ramayanas. Ranganatha Ramayanam, by Gona Budda Reddy (13th to 14th century), tells the story in the folk-friendly dvipada (couplet) metre. Bhaskara Ramayanam, linked with the poet Hulakki Bhaskara (late 13th to early 14th century), mixes prose and verse. Molla Ramayanam, by the 16th-century woman poet Atukuri Molla, is a short and much-loved retelling in simple Telugu.

All three follow Valmiki's story, each in its own style. They stand alongside the Telugu tradition of the Mahabharata by the Kavitrayam; see Andhra Mahabharatam.

Ranganatha Ramayanam

Gona Budda Reddy wrote his Ramayana in dvipada, a two-line metre close to song. That made it easy to recite and sing, and it became widely known among ordinary listeners, not only scholars. Scholars date it to the 13th or 14th century; an older history of Telugu literature gives about 1250. Tradition says his sons completed the later part.

Bhaskara Ramayanam

The Bhaskara Ramayanam is a champu, mixing prose and verse in the courtly style. It is linked with Hulakki Bhaskara and dated to the late 13th or early 14th century. Telugu tradition holds that it was written by several poets together, Bhaskara and members of his circle; scholars treat that division of authorship with caution.

Molla Ramayanam

Atukuri Molla lived in the 16th century and is one of the best-known women poets in Telugu. She came from a family usually described as potters, though some scholars question this. Her Ramayana is short, about 845 stanzas in all, and written in clear Telugu that readers without classical training can follow.

Molla tells the story from the Bala to the Yuddha Kanda and leaves out the Uttara Kanda. The Sundara and Yuddha Kandas are the longest parts of her work. Her Ramayana is still read in Telugu homes, and its verses are taught and recited.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the Ranganatha Ramayanam?

Gona Budda Reddy, in the 13th or 14th century, in dvipada metre.

Who was Molla?

Atukuri Molla, a 16th-century Telugu woman poet, author of the Molla Ramayanam.

Does the Molla Ramayanam include the Uttara Kanda?

No. It ends with the Yuddha Kanda.

What is dvipada?

A Telugu metre of rhymed two-line units, close to song, used in the Ranganatha Ramayanam.

Related reading

• Ramayana: The Complete Guide
• Kamba Ramayanam
• Adhyatma Ramayana and Kerala's Ramayana month
• The Ramayana beyond India
• Andhra Mahabharatam: the Kavitrayam

Sources

1. Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman, Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology (University of California Press, 2002), UC Press e-book (Gona Buddhareddi; Hulakki Bhaskara).
2. Nabaneeta Dev Sen, "Rewriting the Ramayana: Chandrabati and Molla", India International Centre Quarterly 24:2/3 (1997), PDF.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.