Tribhuvan was born on 30 June 1906 to Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah and Divyeshwari Lakshmi Devi Shah. After the death of his father, he ascended the throne on December 11, 1911, at the age of five. Queen Mother Divyeshwari Lakshmi Devi was appointed regent until Tribhuvan came of age. She was married in a double ceremony at the age of 12. She was first married to Kanti in March 1919 at the Narayanhity Palace. On the same day, he married Kanti's sister Ishwari. He also had younger wives. His first child and heir to the throne, Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, was born when Tribhuvan and his wife Queen Kanti Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah were only 13, on 11 June 1920. Tensions between the royal family and the Ranas were started during the First World War. The Ranas wanted to join the war in support of Britain. The Shahs were reluctant and wanted to remain neutral. By the mid-1930s, the discontent of the Ranas people led to the founding of several movements, notably the Nepal Praja Parishad, which Tribhuvan himself specifically supported, to overthrow the Ranas. However, the Ranas reacted harshly in each case, banning liberal movements and executing their leaders. Tribhuvan worked closely with the Praja Parishad to abolish the Rana regime. In November 1950, King Tribhuvan was granted asylum at the Indian embassy. He was accompanied by his son Mahendra and his eldest grandson Birendra, among others. The then Prime Minister Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became furious and in response to Tribhuvan's move called an emergency cabinet meeting at Singha Durbar on 7 November 1950. At this meeting, he announced that Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, Tribhuvan's four-year-old grandson, would be the new king of Nepal. On November 10, the royal family fled to New Delhi, except for the infant King Gyanendra. The king's removal led to massive protests in the country, forcing Rana's Prime Minister, Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, to negotiate with Tribhuvan and the Nepali Congress. Tribhuvan flew back to Nepal on 15 February 1951 along with members of the royal family and leaders of the Congress Party. On February 18, 1951, Tribhuvan returned from India as a ruler. Three days after his return, Tribhuvan officially announced the end of the Rana family rule and established a democratic system. Tribhuvan died in 1955 in Zurich, Switzerland. He was succeeded by his eldest legitimate son, Mahendra.

King Tribhuvan was the ruler of Nepal from 1911 to 1955. During this period, significant changes were made in the Nepalese coinage. In 1911, when Tribhuvan ascended the throne, the British Indian rupee was still the official currency in the Nepalese coinage. However, the king soon started to prepare for Nepal's independence, and as part of this, new Nepali coins were minted. The first Nepali coins were put into circulation in 1914. These coins were made of copper and bronze and were available in denominations of 1 paisa, 2 paisa, 5 paisa, 10 paisa, 25 paisa and 50 paisa. In 1925, King Tribhuvan introduced the Nepalese rupee, which replaced the British Indian rupee as official currency. The new Nepalese rupee was made of gold, silver and copper. In 1933, the 100 Nepalese rupee note was introduced, and in 1945, the 5 Nepalese rupee coin was introduced. the portrait of the king was on the front of the bank notes, and the Nepali landscapes on the back. After the death of King Tribhuvan in 1955, further changes were made in the Nepali coinage. With the death of the king, the reign of the Gurkha dynasty ended, and King Mahendra succeeded him on the throne. King Tribhuvan's coinage was an important milestone in Nepal's monetary history. The king promoted Nepal's independence by introducing new Nepalese coins and reestablished the Nepali mint.