Founded in 1918 by Chandra Shumsher, it is the oldest institute of higher learning in Nepal.

The current name Tri-Chandra is a truncated combination of two words: Tribhuvan for Mahārājādhirāja Tribhuwan Bir Bikram Shah and Chandra for Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher.

[1] Nepal's first institution of higher education, Tri-Chandra College, was established in 1918 by Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana.

[2] However, up until the advent of democracy in 1951, the college was not accessible to the general public, but only to a handful of "noble" members of Rana regime.

The main purpose of imparting science at that time was to prepare the students for further studies in technical subjects, such as medicine, engineering, agriculture, forestry, etc., in India.