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According to the temple historical tradition (sthalapurana), Vedadri represents the Vedas in the form of a hill. This mythological tradition relays that a demon named Somakasura stole the Vedas from Brahma and hid them in the ocean. The panicked gods are said to have prayed to Vishnu, who appeared in the form of Matsya(fish) avataram to rescue the Vedas .The Vedas took a human form and asked Sri Vishnu to stay on their head.

He accepted the request, but told them that he would only stay there after killing the demon Hiranyakasipu. Until then, he told them to stay on the Krishnaveni River as Saligrama Mountain. The Krishnaveni River also prayed to the Lord to allow him to worship the Lord every day.

After few years, the demon Hiranyakasipu was killed by Sri Narasimha Swamy the avatar of Sri Vishnu. He then returned to Saligrama Mountain as Jwala Narasimha Swamy. As the Vedas stayed on the mountain, it is called Vedadri.

Lord Brahma asked Lord Narasimha to stay at Satya Loka as Saligrama Narasimha. The Lord went to Satya Loka as Saligrama Narasimha at the request of Lord Brahma. Upon entering Satya Loka, before Brahma even offered prayers, there were great flames on Satya Loka. Immediately, Lord Brahma brought Saligrama Narasimha back and settled on Saligrama Mountain.

   In the temple, the main image of deity shows Narasimha with Lakshmi sitting on his left lap.

The Vedadri Narasimha Temple is said to have gained prominence during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire. Narayana Tirtha, a noted Telugu Vaishnavite saint and composer, was a routine visitor to this temple. In the 1800s, Raja Vasireddy Muktiswara Prasad Nayudu, a zamindar ancestor of Muktyala Raja, renovated and added to the temple by renewing the dhwajastabham and building 108 flight of stairs for pilgrims to reach the Krishna River from the hillock that houses the temple.