The history of Saiha is deeply entwined with the Mara people, historically referred to by outsiders as the Lakhers. For centuries, the Mara tribes inhabited the rugged hills of what is now southern Mizoram and the bordering Chin State of Myanmar. They lived in fiercely independent village chiefdoms, relying on the rich forests and rivers for survival.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the region was brought under the administration of the British Empire as part of the Lushai Hills district. A transformative moment in Saiha's history occurred in 1907 with the arrival of Christian missionaries, most notably Reverend Reginald Arthur Lorrain, who founded the Lakher Pioneer Mission. Lorrain not only introduced Christianity but also developed a written script for the Mara language, which sparked a massive educational and cultural evolution in the region.
Following India's independence, the political landscape of Northeast India underwent several reorganizations to protect the rights of indigenous minority groups. In 1972, the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) was established under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Saiha was designated as the headquarters of this newly formed autonomous region, cementing its status as the political and administrative capital for the Mara people and sparking its modern development into a vital urban center.