Even though what is included in the shichido garan varies from sect to sect and era to era, according to the "Kokon-mokuroku-sho" in the Kamakura period, it includes a kondo (main hall or golden hall), a pagoda, a lecture hall, a belfry, a kyozo (scriptural depository, library), a sobo (monks' living quarters) and a refectory, which are the commonly known elements.
七堂伽藍が何を指すかもまた時代や宗派によってまちまちだが、鎌倉時代の『古今目録抄』では金堂、塔、講堂、鐘楼、経蔵、僧坊、食堂となっており、これが一般的に知られている。