Tezpur is a small town surrounded by tea plantations and military cantonments on the north bank of the Brahmaputra. Situated about 181-km northeast of Guwahati, the pleasant little town of Tezpur is built around several lakes, and hillocks. Tezpur got it’s name from it’s ancient name Sonitpur. Literal translation of the words Tezpur and Sonitpur mean the “City of Blood”.

Far from the ‘Madding Crowd’ of the ‘Concrete Jungle’, Tezpur is a Virgin beauty. If you want a break from all sorts of pollutions, Tezpur is the right destination. Undulated green valleys surrounded by hills of Arunachal Pradesh on the North, with snow capped peaks of Himalayas as the northern backdrop, and the mighty Brahmaputra in the South. Lush green tea gardens and magnificent archaeological remains have all contributed to make Tezpur a tourist's delight.

Tezpur derived its name from the famous battle between Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva. Tezpur was the capital city of King Bana, Baan Roja as he in better known here. Bana was an astute devotee of Lord Shiva. His daughter Usha fell in love with Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna. As a result of this romance, Aniruddha sneaked into the fortress of Usha. When Bana came to know about it, he captured Aniruddha. This led to the famous battle in the Puranas, Hori-Horor Juddha (battle between Hari and Hara). Hari is the name for Lord Krishna, and Hara is the name for Lord Shiva. Lord Krishna fought for his grandson, and Lord Shiva was on the side of his Devotee. So much blood spill was there in this battle that the whole place got tinted red with blood. From there the place got the name Sonitpur or Tezpur. (Sonit or Tez means Blood and Pur means City).

Presently Tezpur is the district headquarters of the district Sonitpur.