[7] In 1736, the Gorkhali king Nara Bhupal Shah launched an attack on Nuwakot, a border town and fort in the northwest of the valley, to probe its defences.

[9][10] Convinced he would not be able to take Kathmandu with strength alone, Shah sought to subdue the valley by choking its commerce and supply lines.

His forces occupied strategic passes in the surrounding hills, and strangled the vital trade links with Tibet and India.

[15] He reached within 75 km of Kathmandu and captured the forts at Sindhuli and Hariharpur, but the Gorkhalis attacked them on their way and the Party retreated to Bettiah.

[16] The Gorkhalis had set up a base on Dahachok, a hill on the valley's western rim, from where they mounted their assaults on Kirtipur.

[18][19] Having no hope of taking Kirtipur by force, Shah mounted a blockade in an effort to starve the population into submission.

In response, the three kings of Malla Confederacy joined forces and sent their troops to the relief of Kirtipur, but they could not dislodge the Gorkhalis from their positions.