Errana was one of the greatest Telugu poets of Andhra. He was the third of the `Kavi - Traya` or `trio of poets` of Telugu literature. Errana was born in Gudluru village in Pakanadu and lived in Chadalawada. He belonged to `Srivasta gotra` and a son of Brahmin family. Errana was the son of Surana and Potama. The name of his grand father was Errapotana whose name was given to him and his grandmother was Perama. The family religion of Errana was `Aradhya Shaivism`.
Errana took his training under his teacher Srisankaraswamy, an orthodox Shaiva. He worshipped Lord Vishnu even though he was a devotee of Lord Shiva and his family was Shaiva family. Later, Errana became the first court-poet of the Reddi rulers who were great patrons of scholars, poets and the fine arts in general. He was a poet in the court of Prolaya Vemareddy (1325-1353), who was the founder of Reddy dynasty (1325-1424) of Kondaveedu and also ruled Guntur, Prakasam, Nellooru, and Kurnoolu districts of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Errana was also known as Yellapregada or Errapregada. He was honored with the title `Prabandha Parameshwara` i, e, the supreme lord of Prabandha.
Errana along with another great poet Tikkanna completed the Telugu Mahabharata, which was left incomplete by Nayanna, a great Telugu poet. He wrote the `Vcinn-Parva` portion of the Telugu Ramayana. The writing style of Errana was known as `a happy blend of the styles of Nannaya and Tikkanna`. He wrote in `champu` style, which is a blend of prose and poetry. These are called `Vaganu-shasana` i, e, lawgiver of the language, `Kavibrahma`and `Prabandha-Parameshwara` i, e, supreme lord of prabandha form of poetry.
The Sanskrit `Hari-vamsba` was also translated into Telugu by Errana, which he dedicated to king Prolaya Vemareddy. He also wrote a Ramayana in Telugu but unfortunately it is not available now. The `Narasimba-Puranamu` is an independent writing of Errana, which is believed to be a landmark in the history of Telugu literature since it marked the beginning of a literary style called Prabandha. He got the inspiration for writing this piece from his grandfather Errapotana. It is said that one day while meditating Erranna saw that his grandfather had appeared and advised him to write `Narasimba-Puranamu`. It was based on Brahmandapuranamu and Vishnupuranamu. In the `Narasimba-Puranamu`, Errana introduced Narasimha (lion-man) as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the killer of king Hiranyakasyapa, who tortured his Prahlada for worshipping Lord Vishnu.