Golaghat one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987 is a city and a municipality and the seat of administrative operations of Golaghat district, besides being a twin city^] to Jorhat which is about 55 km away. It is one of the oldest urban areas^[ in Assam that recently featured on the Smart Cities nominations list, along with Guwahati and four other prominent urban areas of the state; although losing out to Guwahati at the final stage. The Dhansiri, one of the tributaries of the Brahmaputra, passes through Golaghat and is the primary water source for its citizens.

One of the earliest tea urban centres in Assam that has been the headquarters of the oldest subdivision for over 185–186 years since 1839, the local government body, Golaghat Municipal Board (GMB), was set up in 1920, becoming a long-established civic body of the state, formed before independent India. It is a historical body of 104–105 years of age in continuous operation dating as far back as the early 1920s.

Golaghat has the inceptive post/mail service and telegraphic communication systems in Assam going back to 1876. The oldest social – literature/rhetorical congresses of Assam – the Golaghat Sahitya Sabha of Asam Sahitya Sabha, also began here in 1918. The Golaghat Amateur Theatre Society (GATS), one of the premier theater societies of the state, was set up here in 1895 to uplift the dramatic and cultural activities in the region, particularly Golaghat. The Golaghat Bar Association (GBA), founded in 1891, is one of the oldest legal societies in Assam, especially in the Upper – Assam division.

Golaghat has a number of heritage buildings and sites – the Golaghat British Cemetery, constructed in 1876, the Bezbaruah Higher Secondary School, set up in the late 19th century in the year 1886 by the educationalist Dinanath Bezbarua, the Baptist Church founded by the American missionaries in 1898, the Christian High (Mission) School built by the American Women Foreign Mission Society in 1919, Assam's first department store – Doss & Co., constructed in 1930 and incorporated under the Registrar of Companies (RoC) – Shillong in the year 1955 to name a few.

The headquarters of Assam Valley Tea Planters' Association (now Assam Tea Planters Association) was also based in Golaghat. Set up in 1941 under Mahendra Nath Barooah's management,^[the erstwhile headquarters played a significant role in enrolling associate members, besides laying the first foundations of growth, recognition and reputation that the association is presently credited for. Golaghat also has one of the oldest boards of trades and industries in the state. The United Chamber of Commerce (UCC) formed in 1954 antecedes many newer chambers of commerce that have been set up in the state in the more recent years.

Assam's first major political party, the AGP was formed here and launched in the year 1985 at the historic Golaghat Convention^[30] and by 2008; the same members of the convention^[31] reunified the party at this place.^[32]

The place is also the headquarters of The North Eastern Tea Association (NETA),^[33] one of the tea growers' groups in the state of Assam, a constituent member of Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA), Assam Valley branch.^[34]

Etymology[edit]

The name Golaghat (gola which means shop and ghat meaning the landing point of river ferry or enclosure for boats) originated from the shops established by the Marwari businessmen during the mid-20th century at the bank of Dhansiri river near present Golaghat.^[35]

There is another view, which is more sophisticated and older than the arrival of the British and Indian businessmen. During the Ahom kingdom era, there was a storehouse of cannonballs also locally called Gola and transported by local ferry Ghat, from which name Golaghat is derived.^[36]