Kankanti Paparaju, the author of Telugu Uttara Ramayana, belonged to the 13th century CE. Though this period is identified with the post prabandha works, Papa Ramayana is written in the prabandha style, the classical poetical style that contains 18 types of descriptions and therefore has a classic quality.
Like his predecessor Tikkana, author of Nirvacanottara Ramayana, Kankanti Paparaju also belonged to Nellur and was an Aruveka Niyogi Brahmin. He was a devotee of Madanagopala Swami to whom his prabandha is dedicated.
The theme is Uttara Khanda section of the Ramayana – the banishment of Mata Sita to the forest by Rama. Unlike Tikkana, who omitted such episodes from his work, Paparaju included them. He depicts beautifully emotions like love and grief, valor and fear. In one or two sections Paparaju gives elaborate details of some locations mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana, e.g., the origin of Janasthanam in Dandakaranya.
Paparaju describes Ayodhya without Sita as follows: “A box without a jewel, a lake without a lotus flower, the sky without the moon, a face without the grace of Saraswati (education), a mind without Rama-bhakti, penance without peace, poetry without a message.”
Paparaju uses some rare meters like pancacamaram, ragada, kamalavilasitam, kavirajavirajitam, and pranava krauncapadam, for his work. Without using nirosthya (bilabials) he wrote a full length sisa padyam, a typical meter in Telugu poetry.
Uttara Ramayana of Kankanti Paparaju is very popular in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.