Sonari is a district Headquarter, mid-size town and a municipal board in newly announced Charaideo district in the Indian state of Assam. It is claimed that the original name of Sonari was Sonapur. During the Ahom king's period in 1253 AD, the goldsmiths working for the Ahom royals lived here giving the name of the town(the Assamese word for goldsmith is Sonari). There are even claims that Great Borahi king Mahamanikya (Mahamanifa) lived in Rajadhap area of Sonari during 15th century, in whose court Madhava Kandali translated Ramayana into Assamese before the era of saint Shankardeva. It is also believed that Bhogoniya Raja Jayadwaj Singha rested for days in Sonari before proceeding to Namrup during the invasion of Assam and Ahom capital by Aurangzeb's general Mirjumlah during 1663. One of the first two tea estates set up by Maniram Dewan has now been discovered by Dr Pradip Baruah of the Tocklai Experimental Station of the Tea Research Association. Dewan established the Cinnamara TE at Jorhat and Senglung TE near Suffry, Sonari, around 169 years back, in 1845. Maniram Dewan was the first Indian commercial tea planter. In the middle of the town there is a park around a historic Ahom Kingdom's tank called Bor Pukhuri. This park near the post office is now called Lachit Nagar park, since a full size statue of Assam's great general from Ahom period is erected here. Similarly a statue of Koch General Chilarai has been erected near Tawkak river bridge while entering the town. In 2004 during the birth centenary of Geetikavi Parvati Prasad Baruva a bust size white statue of this lyrical poet was inaugurated at Sonari. Sonari is one of the most important towns in eastern Assam. It is a commercial center for Charaideo District. There is a Sub-Divisional Court and an S.D.O. court at Rajadhap. There are several tea gardens around Sonari and a Gymkhana club golf course. Built sometime around 1945 this golf course was created by the tea planters. The golf course is 1.5 km away from the Sonari Gymkhana, and as a whole about 5 km away from the centre of Sonari Town . There are dramatic changes in elevation on this course which make it interesting. This course is part of the NAPUK tea estate. Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, Sonari Branch is Affiliated to INTUC No. IV/2211 of 1959 and Registration no.445 In the Middle of the town there is a park around a historic Ahom Kingdom's tank called Bor Pukhuri. There is a Daily Super market in the middle of the town. Produces from nearby villages like Mahmora, kakatibari are sold near this market. There are many good educational institutions in the town, catering the needs of many nearby villages and tea-gardens. Some of them are: Sonari College, B.P.B.M. Higher Secondary School, P.K.B. Girls HS School, Sankardev Shishu Niketan, Sonari Town High School, Haji OMM school, St. Joseph's High School, Sonari Junior College, Chah Mazdoor Vidya Niketan, Sonari Commerce College, etc. Notably, B.P.B.M.H.S.School recently completed her Diamond Jubilee year and St. Joseph's High School completed her Silver Jubilee year. Sonari has Hindi school for many years now. There is a Sub-divisional public library near sonari college as well. there are religious places of worship like Sarbojanin Naam ghar, Gurudwara Sahib, Hari Mandir, Kali Mandir, Shiv Mandir, Shani Mandir, Mosque, Buddha Mandir, Hanuman mandir etc. giving a truly secular and cosmopolitan feeling. In recent years a 100 bedded sub-divisional civil hospital has been created in the outskirt of the city with funds from the Government of Assam and the North-Eastern Council (N.E.C) with additional support from N.R.H.M. Project. The government of Assam received Rs.417.31 lakhs from the NorthEastern Council (NEC) for up-gradation of Sonari Civil Hospital. Some of the famous people from sonari are Lyrical-Poet "Geetikavi" Parvati Prasad Baruwa, Poet 'Kavita Konwar' Ambeswar Chetia Phukan etc. Parvati Prasad Baruwa(1904–1964) was a tea planter, poet, lyricist, dramatist: an icon of Assamese culture and literature. Sonari town is located about 45 km from the historic town of Sivasagar and roughly located between Sivasagar and Namrup Town. Bhojo, the nearest railway station is well connected by major passenger trains like intercity. Distance from Dibrugarh Mohanbari Airport to Sonari is about 77 km. The town has a police station of its own name right in the centre of the town. There is also a jail at the outskirts of the town. The Pin code of Sonari is 785690 and the STD code 03772. Sonari is well connected with Sivasagar, Namrup, Dibrugarh, Mon District of Nagaland by road. The historic Dhodar Ali passes through the town connecting Namrup towards east, Simaluguri; Nazira; Joysagar towards west. Nearest railway station is Bhojo which is 7 km away from the town and easily approachable. Nearest junction is Simaluguri Junction. Although sonari don't have direct air connectivity, Dibrugarh Airport (77 km) and Jorhat Airport (80 km) serves the town. IndiGo, Jet Konnect, Air India regularly flies to both the airports.