Tamil Temple Myths: Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition (Princeton Legacy Library)

The association of Goddesses with sacrifice and the creation of new life is prevalent in many ancient and primordial cultures, and in concert with a God the rites become those that the Greeks called Hieros Gamos. The ancient Tamil practices are given here in great detail. Further, the Dravidian traditions are not as well know as those found in northern Sanskrit texts, so this work gives further dimension to the mythology of Shiva, the Goddess, and their offspring.

Mandatory reading on the subject. Superbly researched papers.