Nagaon

Nagaon (historically written as Nowgong) grew around the Kolong (Kalong) River in central Assam and became an important administrative town during the early colonial period. Till 1826, the area remained under Burmese rule; after the Treaty of Yandaboo was ratified, it came under British control.

The British then reorganised the region, and Nagaon was carved out as a separate administrative district in 1832 (some official district notes mention 1833 in summaries). A few years later, in 1839, the British finally settled the district headquarters at the present site of Nagaon town on the bank of the Kolong River. The headquarters was earlier known as Khagorijan, but it was later renamed Nowgong, and over time it developed into a flourishing town and civic centre.

Local explanations of the name also connect “Nagaon” to the idea of a newly organised settlement—“Na” meaning “new”—reflecting how the town emerged and expanded as an organised administrative and market hub for the surrounding countryside.