The infobox lists the monastery as established in 495, and the abbot list begins with Buddhabhadra (Batuo), described as the first Shaolin abbot. The article names no founder. The enclosed area is 520 by 1,180 feet (160 by 360 m). Buildings stand in three lengthwise strips, with seven main halls on the central axis and seven others around them.
The Pagoda Forest, built before 791, holds 240 tomb pagodas from the Tang to Qing dynasties and lies about 980 feet (300 m) west of the monastery. The Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings dates to the Yuan dynasty, and the Hall of a Thousand Buddhas was built in 1588.
On March 15, 1928, Shi Yousan's troops set fire to the monastery, destroying halls and towers and 5,480 volumes of scriptures. The main hall, built about 1169, was reconstructed in 1985. UNESCO inscribed the monastery in 2010.
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