Bhaskara Ramayanam, also known as Bhaskara Ramayanamu, is a Telugu classical book on the epic Ramayana jointly written by four authors. Bhaskara Ramayana is a campu kavya (composition in mixed verse and prose). The authors – Hulakki Bhaskara, Mallikarjuna Bhattu, Kumara Rudrudu and Ayyalarya – were all great scholars.
Hulakki Bhaskara was responsible for the composition of the Ramayana
in Telugu. He wrote Aranyakandamu and the first part of Yuddhakandamu.
Mallikarjuna Bhattu, the son of Bhaskara, wrote Balakandamu, Kishkindha Kandamu
and Sundara Kandamu and Kumara Rudrudu, the disciple of Bhaskara, composed
Ayodhya Kandamu. Ayyalarya, a close friend of Bhaskara, completed the remaining
part of Yuddakandamu.
Since Mallikarjuna, Kumara Rudra Deva, Ayyalaraya and others
belonging to that period had a great regard for Bhaskara, the work was named
after him. Bhaskara Ramayana was dedicated to Sahini Marana, who promoted Telugu
poetry.
Bhaskara Ramayanam is a translation of the Valmiki Ramayana.
It was only after the completion of the composition of the Mahabharata by
Kavitraya (trinity of poets – Nannaya, Tikkana and Errana) that the translation
of Valmiki Ramayana in Telugu was successfully completed by the poets. Later
poets have followed the descriptions and style of Bhaskara Ramayanam. Great
Telugu poets like Bhattu Murti, Anantamatya, Krishna Kavi, Ayyalaraju
Ramabhadhrudu and Kucimanci Timmakavi have paid tributes to Bhaskara for his
skill in preparing and composing the Ramayana in Telugu.
All the four authors excelled not only in the narration of the
story but also in descriptions and in expressions of nine sentiments (navarasa).
Kumara Rudra Deva’s narration of the story is brief, but his descriptions and
command over vocabulary are exemplary.
Hulakki Bhaskara, the best of the four, excels in all
respects. There is an originality of thought which is impressive. His style if
followed by Ayyalarya. In Kishkinda and Sundara Kandas (cantos) of the epic, written
by Mallikarjuna Bhattu, are found powerful and significant dialogues between Vali
and Tara. Many poems in Bhaskara Ramayanamu indicate the scholarship of Kumara
Rudra Deva and Ayyalaraya in Telugu and Sanskrit.