IT IS CLAIMED THAT THE ORIGINAL NAME OF SONARI WAS SONAPUR. 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.[2] MANIRAM DEWAN WAS THE FIRST INDIAN COMMERCIAL TEA PLANTER.[3] IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOWN THERE IS A PARK AROUND A HISTORIC AHOM KINGDOM'S TANK CALLED BOR PUKHURI.[4] 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 LOCATED AT 27.07°N 95.03°E.[1] IT HAS AN AVERAGE ELEVATION OF 97 METRES (318 FEET). IT IS A MAJOR TOWN ON THE NEARLY 500-YEAR-OLD "DHODAR ALI" BUILT BY THE AHOM KINGS. DHODAR ALI WAS FORCEFULLY COMMISSIONED BY AHOM KING GADADHAR SINGHA USING THE SO-CALLED LAZY PEOPLE OR THE SOCIALLY UNPRODUCTIVE 'DHODS' RESIDING WITHIN ASSAM. SITUATED BY THE SIDE OF THE TAOKAK RIVER, SONARI IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF CHARAIDEO DISTRICT, ASSAM. THE NEAREST RAILWAY STATION IS BHOJO, WHICH IS ABOUT 3 KM AWAY LOCATED BY THE BANK OF HISTORICAL DISANG RIVER. THE BEST WAY TO REACH SONARI BY ROAD IS FROM SIVASAGAR TOWN THROUGH THE DHODAR ALI NEAR WHICH THE FAMOUS ROYAL MAUSOLEUM OF THE AHOM KINGS AT CHARAIDEO IS SITUATED. SONARI IS A CENTRE FOR TEA AND TIMBER INDUSTRIES AND IS THE GATEWAY TO THE MON DISTRICT OF NAGALAND