Local lore holds that the city's name is an anglicized corruption of "Durama," a prominent local deity believed by the traditional Garo people to reside in the towering hills overlooking the settlement. For centuries, the area was characterized by independent, self-sustaining Garo villages that practiced shifting agriculture and lived in relative isolation from the plains of Assam and Bengal.
The modern township of Tura began to take shape during the British colonial era. In the mid-19th century, the British Empire sought to consolidate its control over the Garo Hills to secure its frontiers and establish taxation over trade routes. In 1869, the British formally annexed the Garo Hills and designated Tura as the administrative headquarters. The settlement slowly grew as roads, administrative buildings, and Christian missions were established. Christian missionaries—particularly the American Baptists—arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, profoundly influencing the region by introducing Roman script for the Garo language, establishing the first modern schools, and bringing widespread conversion to Christianity.
Following India's independence in 1947, Tura remained part of the state of Assam until the peaceful hill state movement successfully culminated in the creation of Meghalaya in 1972. Since then, Tura has served as the undisputed anchor of the western half of Meghalaya, evolving from a remote administrative outpost into a modern educational and political center, while actively preserving its deep indigenous identity.
