Early history of East Garo Hills District is vague and unclear because of lack of written records prior to the coming of the British. Moreover, some of the past records suggesting the history of Garo Hills depend entirely on the indigenous legend and oral traditions, folklore and folksongs, and other circumstantial evidence of Garo tribe which are, however, most uncertain and reliable sources of information. Indigenous traditions of Garo Tribe relate that they originally came from Tibet. Later on, they crossed Brahmaputra River and advanced towards Guwahati, where they settled along the Brahmaputra valley. Eventually, Garo Kingdom was established.

History of East Garo Hills District further suggests that with the passage of time in the medieval period the Garos in the hills were divided into a number of petty Nokmaships. However, the plain tracts along the fringes at the foot of the hills were included in the many Zamindari Estates, which eventually developed into fewer but larger complexes. During the mediaeval era and the Mughal period, important estates bordering the Garo Hills were Karaibari, Kalimalupara, Mechpara and Habraghat in Rongpur district, Susang and Sherput in Mymensingh district of Bengal and Bijini in the Eastern Duars. Early records describe the Garos as being in a state of intermittent conflict with Zamindars of these large estates.

According to the modern period of the history of East Garo Hills District, contacts between the British and the Garos started after the British East India Company had secured the Diwani of Bengal from the Mughal Emperor. Consequently, all the estates bordering Garo Hills were brought under the control of the British. The Zamindars were not disturbed in the internal management of their estates. In fact, they were entrusted, as they had been by the Mughals, with the responsibility of keeping the hill Garos in check with help of their retainers. Thus in the beginning, the intermittent conflict between the Zamindars and the Garos went on unabated until the situation deteriorated further. This condition led ultimately to the annexation of the Garo Hills in the year 1873. Captain Williamson was the first Deputy Commissioner of the unified district. The district was bifurcated into two districts namely East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills in October, 1979.