Historical ruins of 8th-9th century dot the surrounding areas of the town. They bear resemblance to the Gupta period art. Accordingly there are plenty of myths as well.

Modern Tezpur was founded by the British colonial administration in 1835 as the headquarters of Darrang district. Being from the core Assamese cultural region, the town has produced many stalwarts such as Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (1903-51), Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha (1909-69), Phani Sarma (1909-70), Ananda Chandra Agarwala (1874-1939).

After independence of India in 1947, it remained the headquarters of Darrang district. During the Indo-China war of 1962 the Chinese army came close to the town and the town had to be evacuated. In 1983 a part of the district was carved out to form a separate district, named Darrang. Tezpur became the headquarters of the new district of Sonitpur.