My wife and I have been going to india for 2-3 weeks every year for the last 6 or 7 years. I generally take £1,000 in GBP Travellers Cheques and maybe £200 in GBP. However, on our trips not all meals are covered by the hotels. We often have our own driver and the expectation is that he gets a few thousand rupees at the end of the trip. In the last few years ATMs have become more common but if you are going to use Indian ATMs tell your bank before you go.You cannot get rupees here and you are not supposed to take any out when you leave. your first opportunity to buy rupees will be when you are in Arrivals at your destination airport. Be aware India is accustmed to tipping and if you do tip it gets you a long way, so you need to keep a supply of 50 or 100 rupee notes. The airports usually only give large denomination notes so change some as soon as you can for bag carriers porters etc