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Sonitpur district [Pron: ˌsə(ʊ)nɪtˈpʊə or ˌʃə(ʊ)nɪtˈpʊə] is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters is located at Tezpur.

The name of the district is derived from a story found in Hindu epics specifically the Bhagavata Purana and in the locally composed Kalika Purana where the city was established by Banasura the eldest son of Bali who did great penance or tapasya to Lord Shiva who promised to look over the city. The Sanskrit word Śōṇita means blood. The etymology of Tezpur, the headquarter of this district is also based on the story.

During the early medieval period, the area around present-day Tezpur formed an important part of the Kamarupa kingdom. Under the Mlechchha or Salastambha line, which ruled Kamarupa from the late 7th to the 10th century, Tezpur was known as Haruppesvara, Hadapesvara or Hatapesvara and served as an important political centre.^[1] The Tezpur rock inscription of King Harjjaravarman, dated to 510 Gupta Era, corresponding to 829–830 CE, is one of the important epigraphic records from this period.^[2] The early historic and early medieval importance of the region is also reflected in monuments such as the Da-Parbatia temple door-frame, regarded as one of the finest early examples of stone sculpture in Assam,^[3] and the masonry remains at Bamuni Hill, which have been dated to around the 9th–10th century CE and ascribed to the later Salastambha rulers.^[4]

After the fall of the Kamrupa kingdom, the lands of the current district was divided between the Baro-Bhuyans and the Chutia Kingdom rule. The border between the two territories was the Bharali River.^[5]

The Buranjis mention that after the conquest of the Chutia Kingdom in 1524 CE, the Ahom forces of Suhungmung crossed the Bharali River in 1527 and 1529 CE, suppressed the Bhuyans of Rauta-Temoni (modern-day Darrang-Nagaon region) and resettled them in the Uttarkula or North bank of Upper Assam (Lakhimpur-Biswanath region). ^[6] In 1526 CE, Suhungmung first appointed Konsheng Dhanudharia Gohain as Bhatialia Gohain or Namoniyal Sandikoi to rule the north-bank region and later gave him the title of Barpatra Gohain (Chao-Sheng-lung) in imitation of the earlier Chutia Barpatra title, after which the Ahom forces crossed the Bharali and subjugated the Bhuyans in the years 1527 and 1529 CE.^[7][8]

The Bengal Sultanate forces under various commanders like Turbak Khan, Bor Ujir and Bit Malik attacked the Ahom kingdom between 1527 and 1532, and battles were fought at various places of Biswanath, Nagaon and Sonitpur region. The Ahoms won the battles and the Muslims were chased away from the region.

From the middle of the 16th century, the Darrang-Sonitpur region became a contested frontier between the Ahoms and the expanding Koch kingdom. The office of Salal Gohain was created during the reign of Sukhaamphaa, also known as Khora Raja, apparently after the frontier disturbances of 1562 CE, when the Nyishis or Daflas, along with the Koches, invaded the plains. The officer was appointed to watch the Daflas and Akas on the northern frontier.^[9] Under Nara Narayan, the Koch kingdom expanded eastward, and a few decades after the Ahom victory at the Kameng, Nara Narayan’s forces under Chilarai sacked the Ahom capital at Garhgaon and compelled the Ahoms to pay tribute. The eastern conquests of the Koches were completed by Raghudev, the king’s nephew and heir before the birth of Nara Narayan’s son Lakshmi Narayan. When Raghudev rebelled with Ahom support but was defeated, Nara Narayan divided the Koch territories, giving the region east of the Sankosh River to Raghudev and the western portion to Lakshmi Narayan. Raghudev’s kingdom became known as Koch Hajo, while the western kingdom became Koch Bihar. Koch Hajo soon came under Ahom influence, while Koch Bihar came under Mughal influence. The boundary between Koch Hajo and the Ahoms lay at the Kameng or Bareli River, which passed through the middle of the present Sonitpur region.^[10]

Conflict soon broke out between Raghudev and Lakshmi Narayan. After being defeated, Lakshmi Narayan sought Mughal help. A Mughal force defeated Raghudev, although Sonitpur, being on the eastern frontier, was not immediately conquered. Raghudev’s brother Bali Narayan then fled to the Ahoms, and when the Mughals demanded his surrender, the Ahoms refused. This led to a series of Ahom–Mughal conflicts, most of which were fought in lower Assam. In 1615, a Mughal army advanced as far as the Kameng, but was defeated on both land and water. In 1637, the Mughals defeated and killed Bali Narayan, and in the treaty that followed, the whole of Sonitpur came under Ahom possession.^[10]

During the political disorder following the illness and deposition of Shah Jahan in 1658, the Ahoms attempted to extend their western boundary to the Sankosh River, but were pushed back by Mir Jumla II, who captured Garhgaon. During the Mughal advance, a fort near Silghat was captured, while the Ahoms evacuated the Chandara fort near Tezpur. However, the monsoon rains and disease caused heavy losses to the Mughal army during its retreat, and the Ahoms soon recovered Guwahati and retained it.^[10]

The northern frontier of the wider Darrang-Sonitpur region formed part of the Darrang Duars, the tract between the Bornadi River and the Dhansiri River. The Duars functioned as hill-plain gateways, frontier marts and trade routes linking Assam with Bhutan and Tibet. In the Assam frontier, the Darrang Duars included Killing, Buriguma and Koriapar, situated between the Dhansiri in the east and the Barnadi in the west.^[11]

The Ahoms came into closer contact with the Bhutan frontier during the reign of Pratap Singha, especially after the Battle of Bharali in 1616, when Bali Narayan was installed in Darrang as a tributary ruler under the title Dharma Narayan. Bhutanese attempts to extend their control over the fertile plains south of the hills up to the Gohain Kamal Ali were checked by the combined forces of the Ahoms and the Koches. As a result, the Darrang Duars of Buriguma and Killing remained under Ahom control. During the reign of Jayadhwaj Singha, the Darrang Duars were transferred to Bhutan under an agreement by which the Bhutias paid annual tribute and surrendered the Duars to the Ahom government for four months every year, from Ashar to Aswin. The Raja of Darrang was made responsible for collecting the tribute and managing dealings with the Bhutias.^[12]

The Darrang Duars were administered through officers called Duarias, while Katakis were appointed to supervise dealings in the Duars and ensure that taxes collected from the ryots did not exceed the fixed dues. Bhutias entering through one Duar were not allowed to pass into another without permission from the Katakis. From the reign of Gadadhar Singha, the jurisdiction of the Borphukan at Guwahati was extended over both Kamrup and Darrang, and Ahom revenue collectors and police officers administered the Darrang Duars during the four months when they were under Ahom control. To check Bhutanese incursions, Gadadhar Singha also constructed a series of forts on the Darrang frontier.^[13]

Koriapar Duar, which historically formed part of the Sonitpur-Darrang frontier, was situated to the east of Bhutan and extended from the Doisam River to the Rowta River. It was bounded by Tawang on the north, the Gohain Kamal Ali on the south, Chariduar on the east and Buriguma Duar on the west. During the Ahom period, Koriapar formed part of the Satgharia domain and was administered by the Sat Rajas, a group of chiefs. Its inhabitants were Monpas, generally described in Assamese records as Bhutias, who regarded themselves as subjects of the Tawang Deb Raja.^[14] These Monpa chiefs were subordinate to the ruler of Tawang, who in turn was a tributary of the Tibetan government at Lhasa.^[15]

Koriapar Duar acted as an important trading point between Assam and Tibet. Its management was carried out by an officer known as the Sanzati, while the Tibetan government at Lhasa appointed Tibetan officials called Gellongs to supervise the local Monpa chiefs.^[16] Koriapar came under Ahom possession after the western part of Assam was taken from the Koches. After his successes against the Mughals, Pratap Singha compelled the Sat Rajas of Koriapar to enter into an agreement by which they held the Duar for eight months of the year, while the Ahom government retained control for the remaining four months. This arrangement continued until 1839–1840.^[17]

In 1688, the Ahom officer Parbatrai went to Koriapar to collect taxes from the Kachari Maholias, or betel-nut traders, but was prevented from doing so. After the matter was reported, the Barphukan sent soldiers to the region. The Bhutias attacked the Ahom camp at night at Ghoramara Choramar, killed several Ahom soldiers, and carried away four men from the outpost of the Darrang Raja. The dispute was later settled when the Bhutias paid Rs. 2,000 to the Ahom king and Rs. 1,000 to the Barphukan. In 1690, the Bhutias killed Baidyanath Choudhury, the Ahom tax collector, when he went to collect taxes from the Kachari Maholias. The Duaria later captured the culprits and handed them over to the Barphukan, after which the Bhutias admitted guilt and paid Rs. 1,000 as compensation.^[18]

In 1691, the Bhutias of Koriapar again obstructed the collection of taxes from the Kachari Maholias. The Barphukan suspected the involvement of the Darrang Raja and ordered him to pay the amount due to the Ahom king. The Darrang Raja complied, but reported that the Bhutias had prevented tax collection and had occupied territory up to the middle of the Gohain Kamal Ali, which they claimed as their rightful boundary. To stop these encroachments, Gadadhar Singha ordered the Darrang Raja to construct a fort. The Bhutias killed several of the Darrang Raja’s men during the construction work, but fled when reinforcements arrived, and the tax was eventually collected. This settled the dispute over tax collection in the frontier Darrang Duar region during Gadadhar Singha’s reign.^[19]

In the late 18th century, the authority of the Ahom kingdom weakened during the Moamoria rebellion. Several neighbouring powers, including Manipur, attempted to assist the Ahom monarchy, but the kingdom fell into disorder. The Moamorias raised an Ahom prince to kingship and captured Rangpur, forcing the Ahom king Gaurinath Singha to flee. Taking advantage of the situation, the Darrang Raja Krishna Narayan, a descendant of Bali Narayan, attempted to reassert his independence with the help of Bengali mercenaries. In 1792, a British force sent to assist the Ahom king recovered Guwahati and defeated Krishna Narayan, and in 1794 the British helped the Ahoms recover Rangpur. Even after this, much of the kingdom remained under weak Ahom control and was subject to raids by neighbouring hill groups such as the Nyishis.^[10]

In 1818, the Burmese invaded Assam to place their preferred claimant on the Ahom throne, forcing out the Ahom king and occupying his territories. The Burmese occupation caused widespread death and destruction. In 1826, after the First Anglo-Burmese War, the Burmese ceded Assam to the British under the Treaty of Yandabo, bringing the Sonitpur region under British control.^[10] Koriapar Duar was annexed by the East India Company in 1844 and added to the province of Assam.^[20] Darrang, including present-day Sonitpur district, was made a separate district in 1833, and its headquarters was shifted to Tezpur in 1835. The British later introduced tea plantations in the district and brought large numbers of labourers from the tribal belt of the Chota Nagpur Plateau to the Sonitpur area.^[10]

• Headquarters: Tezpur
• Number of Revenue Circles/Tehsils
• Number of Mouza: 26
• Number of Community Development(C.D.) Blocks: 17
• Number of Police Stations: 11
• No. of Anchalik Panchayats: 7
• Name of Gaon Panchayats: 158
• Number of Villages: 1615 (including 19 under BTAD)
• Number of Towns: 6
• Names of Towns: Tezpur, Dhekiajuli, Rangapara & Jamugurihat
• Number of Municipality Board: 2
• Number of Town Committees: 4
• Number of Police District: 1 (Sonitpur Police District)

Sonitpur district lies on the plains between the foothills of the Himalayas and the valley of the Brahmaputra which forms its southern border.^[21][22] Sonitpur district had the second largest area of districts in Assam, after Karbi Anglong district, at 5,324 square kilometres (2,056 sq mi),^[23] comparable in size to the island of Guadalcanal.^[24] Other than the Brahmaputra, the major rivers in the district are its right tributaries and include the Jiabharali, Gabharu, Borgang and Buroi.^[22][25]

Sonitpur District is home to several wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. In 1998, Sonitpur district became home to Nameri National Park in the north, which has an area of 200 km² (77.2 mi²).^[26] It is also home to Orang National Park, which it shares with Darrang district. Orang National Park was established in 1999 and has an area of 79 km² (30.5 mi²).^[26]

Sonitpur is home to two wildlife sanctuaries: Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.^[26] It is also home to the registered forests (RF) of Behali RF (140 km²), Naduar RF (69 km²), and Charduar RF (260 km²).^[27]

Sonitpur District falls in the Sub-Tropical Rainforest climate region, (Af) in Koppen’s climate classification and enjoys Hot & Wet type of climate. Summers are hot and humid; with an average temperature of 27 °C. Rainfall is heavy above 3,000 mm (9 ft) in wet months January to June which is both a boon and a bane for the people. A boon, for it, provides natural irrigation to the fields; and a bane, as it causes the rivers to overflow their banks and cause floods. All months have average precipitation of at least 60 mm and the average temperature of the cold month is above 18 °C. As anyone can expect, Tropical rainforest is the vegetation in and around the city. ^{[citation needed]}

The forests of Sonitpur district are semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests and bamboo forests, with hydrophytes in the wetlands.^[22] Species include: Aegle marmelos, Albizia procera, Alstonia scholaris, Arundo donax, Bambusa balcooa, Cynodon dactylon, Dipterocarpus macrocarpus, Duabanga grandiflora, Eichhornia crassipes, Mesua assamica, Melocanna baccifera, Mesua ferrea, Shorea assamica (mekai) and Shorea robusta.^[22]

The population of Sonitpur district is 1,924,110 as per 2011 Census. It is the third most populous district of Assam (out of 27), after Nagaon and Dhubri.^[28] The demography of Sonitpur district is not entirely homogenous as several linguistic, religious and ethnic communities and groups live in Sonitpur district.

According to the 2011 census Sonitpur district has a population of 1,924,110,^[28] roughly equal to the nation of Lesotho^[29] or the US state of West Virginia.^[30] This gives it a ranking of 245th in India (out of a total of 640).^[28] The district has a population density of 365 inhabitants per square kilometre (950/sq mi) .^[28] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.67%.^[28] Sonitpur has a sex ratio of 946 females for every 1000 males,^[28] and a literacy rate of 69.96%.

The divided district has a population of 13,11,619, of which 142,477 (10.86%) live in urban areas. Sonitpur has a sex ratio of 950 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 65,367 (4.98%) and 139,033 (10.60%) of the population respectively.^[28]

The major religions of the populace of Sonitpur district are Hindu and Muslim, As per 2011 census there are approximately 908,565 (69.27%) Hindus and 298,381 (22.75%) Muslims in the district. There are around 95,774 (7.30%) Christians in the district. Other small population following Buddhism (0.5%), Jainism and Sikhism is also present in the district.^[31]

Almost 600,000 people in the district are from communities residing in Assam since pre-colonial times, making up around 46% of the population. These are Kalita, Assamese Brahmins, Koch Rajbongshis, Karbi, Keot (Kaibarta), Mising, Nath Jogis, Bodo, Thengal Kachari, Chutia, Rabha, Gorkhas and other communities of Assam. They have become a minority in the district due to the colonial and post-colonial era settlement of communities like Bengalis (both Hindu and Muslim), Biharis, Marwaris etc.^[32]

The immigrant Bengali speaking Hindus came from erstwhile undivided Bengal and Bangladesh, as officials and clerks of the British administration and the Tea Industry; and stayed back. Later, on account of the partition of India, Hindu people from Bangladesh coming as refugees added significantly to the community. Their primary language is Bengali, most of them are also fluent in Assamese too. They are mostly urbanised having a sizeable population in towns of Rangapara, Tezpur, Dhekiajuli, Biswanath Chariali, and Balipara. The population of Bengali Hindus is over 100,000 in the district. There has a sizeable population of Bengali Muslims living since colonial times in the district mainly in and around char areas of Brahmaputra river and surrounding areas of Dhekiajuli, Thelamara, and Tezpur (Napam). The population of Bengalis total is now around 250,000 in the district and make up almost 20% of the population.

The third largest community is the Adivasis, or tea garden tribes. Their ancestors were brought from tribal areas of central India to work as labourers on tea plantations. They are now spread all over the district. However, they are mostly concentrated in the surrounding regions of Dhekiajuli, Rangapara, Balipara, Jamugurihat, Biswanath chariali, Behali, Gohpur, Helem and northern parts of the district. They use Sadri, a dialect of Hindi as their first and primary language amongst themselves and Assamese as their second or third language. Around 50,000 still speak their original languages like Mundari and Kurukh. Almost 100,000 of them practices Christianity.

There are nearly 50,000 speakers of Hindi and it’s dialect Bhojpuri living in the district who are primarily immigrated into the district from Hindi-speaking regions of India particularly Bihar and Rajasthan.

As per the 2011 census, 37.01% of the population spoke Assamese, 19.36% Bengali, 12.52% Sadri, 8.93% Boro, 6.63% Nepali, 3.79% Hindi, 2.54% Odia and 1.98% Mundari as their first language.^[32]

Sr No.	Guardian_Minister	Tenure	Party
1.	Pijush Hazarika	2021 Incumbent	Bharatiya Janata Party

The district has produced notable people, including:-

• Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (1903–1951) playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker
• Kamalakanta Bhattacharya, Assamese essayist and poet
• Ankushita Boro, boxer
• Jamuna Boro, boxer
• Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, playback singer, poet and film-maker
• Bishnu Prasad Rabha (1909–69), promoter of Assamese culture
• Phani Sarma (1909–70), theatre and film actor, playwright and director

• Major Railway Station  : Dekargaon, Rangapara & Biswanath Chariali.
• Nearest Airport  : Salonibari Airport, Tezpur.
• Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) Stand : At the midst of Tezpur town.

• Das, Smriti (1998). Assam Bhutan relations with special reference to duars from 1681 to 1949 (PhD). Guwahati University. hdl:10603/67909.
• Eilmer, David (2014). The Emperor Far Away:Travels at the Edge of China. Bloomsbury.
• Mizuno, Kazuharu; Tenpa, Lobsang (2015). Himalayan Nature and Tibetan Buddhist Culture in Arunachal Pradesh, India : A Study of Monpa. Springer.

• Sonitpur District Official Website