As far as is known from the ancient archeology found in the region, Gupta emperors ruled Comilla since the fifth century AD.

[8] According to historians, the Buddhist Deva dynasty ruled the region from the seventh to the middle of the eighth century.

These rulers built the Shalban Vihara in the Mainamati hills, which was a major centre of Buddhist learning.

The arrival of numerous Muslim pirs in the district caused the local Hindu and Buddhist population to largely adopt an Islamic identity In the 15th century the Tripura king Dharma Manikya I built the Dharmasagar tank in Comilla town.

The region became known as Chakla Roshanabad and was part of the Sarkar of Sonargaon of the Bengal Subah, although the Tripura kings still had Zamindari rights over much of the land.

In the 18th century, the Comilla region saw the uprising of Shamsher Gazi from the current Feni district, who briefly ruled over the kingdom of Tripura and nearby lands until his execution in 1760 by the Nawabs of Bengal.

The Tripura Collector's journey began with the formation of Tippera or Tipperah district of Bengal by the British in 1790.

[9] In the 19th century the reforming influence of Maulana Keramat Ali largely caused the Muslims of the district to abandon all folk religious practices including the worship of minor deities and pirs.

In the 1940s the mostly Muslim populace supported the Pakistan movement, and southern parts of the district were heavily affected by the Noakhali riots which led to a steady exodus of Hindus to India, especially neighbouring Tripura state.

Comilla thana was officially converted into an upazila in 1983 which contains one municipality, 18 wards, 19 union parishads, 452 mouzas, and 458 villages.

Comilla District had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 76.68%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 1142 females per 1000 males.

[17] Landmarks include Kotbari, a cantonment, or military installation and Kandirpar, considered the heart of the Comilla district.

[19] Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh, passed a significant time of his life in this town.