The Founder of this small principality comprising the present Khandesh and parts of Nimar and Nasik districts was Raja Ahmad or Malik Raja. The first six rulers of this dynasty after Malik Raja were known as Khans and hence the territory under their rule came to be called Khandesh.
Malik Raja revolted against the Bahmanis, fled from Deccan and established himself at Thalner which along with Kuronda was given as a jagir to him by Firoz Shah Tughluq in A.D. 1370 in lieu of small service rendered to him.
By A.D. 1382 he had conquered the adjoining areas and subdued the petty Rajput chieftains and was ruling as an independent king. His attempt to capture the fertile areas of Sultanpur and Nandurbar districts ended in failure.
Hence forward it became “a bone of contention between Gujarat and the Faruqis very much as the Raichur Doab was between the Bahmanis and Vijayanagar”. His dynasty is known as Faruqi dynasty as he traced his descent from the second Caliph Umar-al-Faruq. Malik Raja died on 29 April, 1399.