Shrestha was born in a lower–middle class Newar family in 1935 (1992 BS) in the Nepalese capital city of Kathmandu to mother Asha Moti Shrestha and father Ganesh Lal Shrestha.
Shrestha's background is described as lower-middle class Newar family from Kathmandu, Nepal, where he was born in 1935 (BS 1992) to his parents, Asha Moti Shrestha and Ganesh Lal Shrestha.